


Welcome to Blackwell Academy

by Proper_Stopping_Distance



Series: The Ties That Bind [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, pricefield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-07-23 12:58:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16159436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proper_Stopping_Distance/pseuds/Proper_Stopping_Distance
Summary: AU set in Arcadia Bay about a year after the events from Blackbird. If you have not read that, please do not read this :).Life is good for Maxine Caulfield. Smitten with her best friend, lover, and life partner Chloe, she's learned to temper the horrors of her past. On her first day at Blackwell Academy, she's hesitant but eager to employ her newfound confidence and take the school by storm. But life is like the tides, and, sooner or later, the high water must recede.





	1. Confidence in Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone, again, that left feedback on Blackbird. My goal for this work is to address the lingering issues from that story, as well as introduce and resolve a new plot line. Hope ya'll enjoy! xD

_This is it, Max Caulfield. Final steps... a new beginning. I promised Chloe I would bring my "new self" to the table today, and not be a wallflower. Let's make some waves._

A sparse few feet separated Maxine Caulfield from Blackwell Academy's twin front doors, which, despite it only being the first day of school, were already plastered head to foot with fliers for clubs, parties, and eye-rollingly goodie two-shoe awareness raising.

_Well, I guess the one about bullying hits a little close to home. And that one about domestic violence. Yeah, okay, you've convinced me, posters on the glass. I shouldn't be so sarcastic to your plight.  
_

She shifted her feet, suddenly feeling the nervousness of her old, trepidatious self creep its way back into her conscious thought--like a monster in the corner of her eye, rolling its fingers around a corner and slowly bringing its head into view. With a forceful shake of her head, Max pushed the horrible memories aside, taking a steady breath to center herself and regain her bearings. This was it. The first day of her new life at Blackwell Academy. She couldn't afford to let the past continue to haunt her. Not when she had so much in the present, about ninety-nine percent of which revolved around a certain blue-haired individual.

In the year since Calvin Young's accident, or "when Calvin got Max-ed to the past," as Chloe referred to it, much had transpired. Chloe transformed her talk of applying at Bay College into action. Not surprisingly, with a little studying she blasted her way through the entrance exams, and had been enrolled for several months now. What started as a somewhat-meager interest in a "Introduction to computer programming" course quickly grew into an obsession. She was on track for their informatics degree.

Eager to encourage and foster a sense of responsibility in her daughter, Joyce (though both Chloe and Max suspected it was at David's behest) began charging a monthly rent for her room. At first, Chloe was completely distraught. Max snickered at the memory.

" _What?",_ Chloe had half-asked, half shouted. "You know I don't have a job! And it isn't as if hundred bucks a month isn't going to make a dent in finances. And I'm busy with school!"

"Well, Chloe," Joyce replied. "Changes to our financial prosperity aside, both David and I think it would be a good idea for you to get a part time job. Get something on your resume."

"It builds character," David interjected, standing in the living room with arms folded.

"Dude, I've already _got_ character," Chloe shot back.

"She has a point there," Joyce muttered in response.

" _Real_ character," David corrected.

"No true Scotsman!" Chloe chastened with a shout, pointing fervently at her step-father. David furrowed his brow, rubbing a hand on his forehead.

After more deliberation, the parents eventually emerged victorious, and a few days later Chloe landed a job as a bagging attendant at the local grocery store. The same store, Max later learned, to which William had take his final car trip. When Max raised it as a concern, Chloe did her best to brush it off.

"They have an opening," Chloe explained. "And the hours are good. It's no big, Max. It's... it's cool."

"Chloe..." Max trailed off, in her by now trademarked tone of lingering worry.

"Hey," Chloe said as she pulled Max in for a hug, "It's fine. I... I don't want to say I'm over it, but I want to move past this shit, Max. With you."

Max didn't have anything to say to that. Not that Chloe had let her.

_Head out of the gutter, Max! Focus! Enough thinking about the past. This is my first day at Blackwell. Gotta keep these thoughts PG. Well, maybe PG-13.  
_

Chloe eventually came around to the idea of having a steady income, if nothing more than to have an excuse to dip into the fifty grand they "requisitioned" from Eric Landhauser over a year ago. After the car, and other expenses, about forty three thousand remained. Some of which could now be easily spent, under the guise of "having saved up for it." Max still had mixed feelings about the money. It wasn't as if they _needed_ it. And it could bring trouble. There was no way Eric Landhauser had forgotten about it. And they didn't really even know what, exactly, _he_ knew. Eric was suspicious enough to send Calvin, a course of action that did not pan out well for him. But to Chloe, the money was her proverbial Scrooge McDuck money vault. Max didn't want to take it away from her.

A passing crow, _kaw-_ ing overhead, pulled Max from her reverie. She knew she needed to just _do_ this--open the doors, walk to her new locker. Attend that first class. But every time she told her feet to take a step forward, towards Blackwell's entrance, she hesitated, as if entering the building would bring some sort of _end_ to something she wasn't quite willing to let go just yet. It didn't make much sense.

Over the past year, she had ample time to come to terms with the tragedy in her own life. The flashbacks, in particular, had disappeared completely. Her psychiatrist prescribed some medications, which she occasionally took, but she rarely ever used the full dosage. When it was all said and done, Max remained on the fence over whether the medications and consultation had been the thing that helped, or if the visions had just disappeared naturally. Either way they were gone, and that fact couldn't beget more happiness.

Even after her uncle's fateful end in that Prescott barn house, Max harbored a secret terror that a day would come where she would enter a flashback that just wouldn't end. That she would be forever trapped in a memory with Calvin... never able to return. She spoke to Chloe about it, once, late at night, after one of her last and final visions, almost seven months ago. Max woke screaming, thrashing about in bed. Chloe diligently curled around Max, who was still shivering, cold sweat dripping from her face.

"C-C-Chloe, what if this doesn't stop... what if--" Max cried softly.

"Don't even think that way, Caulfield," Chloe reassured, tightening her grip, and leaning her head onto Max's shoulders. The bare contact of their skin brought a wave of calm over Max, ending her hyperventilated breathing. "You're _going_ to get over this. I can already tell. You've been doing so much better lately--"

"I know, Chloe," Max cut in. "I just... they're _so real_. He's... _there_. And it's the worst moments, Chloe. I don't--I don't think it's simple PTSD. It feels more... like when I was in that photograph."

"Don't be crazy, Max," Chloe whispered into her ear, tugging them closer together. "You don't even have a photo of any of... those... incidents, right?"

Max shook her head. "It's still similar, though," she murmured. "I... when it's happening, I'm _aware_. And--" she stopped to gulp, trying not to lose composure, "--I just wonder. What happens if I don't come back? If I just stay there?"

Chloe dismissed it outright as a possibility. "No way, Max. No, I'm not gonna let you think like that," Chloe re-positioned Max so their eyes could meet directly. "And if it does... well." She brought a hand to Max's face, brushing back some of her bangs. "I'll be there. I promise. Until you come back, I will _never_ leave your side." Max squeezed her eyes shut, allowing Chloe to completely fold herself around her. It was moments like these that Max felt truly _safe_. Impervious to the supernatural forces that seemed intent on bringing chaos into her life.

Her rewind power, on the other hand, was another ballgame completely. Whereas the visions brought anxiety, fear, and doubt, the rewind gave birth to a whole host of emotions on the opposite end of the spectrum. The nosebleeds had stopped. The headaches had evaporated. Max found herself in absolute command of an awesome power, the use of which, by all appearances, seemed to cost a grant total of _nothing._ Chloe was enraptured by the development, and encouraged Max to use the power as much as possible.

It was Chloe who first came up the idea. The pranks started innocuously enough. Chloe thought they would be good exercises to bring out a more confident, self realized Max. The first test subject was, of course, David. The plan was simple: as he walked in through the garage after parking his car, Max would ask to show him a magic trick. She would steal the keys from his pocket. David, whose standoffish attitude towards Max had disappeared completely when he learned about her PTSD-like symptoms, was bemused by the idea.

"Okay Max, but I warn you," he jested. "I used to be quite the showman myself, back in my day."

"Alright, David," Max said calmly. "I'm going to need to see your car keys first."

Behind them both, Chloe snickered, as if she was in some joke David wasn't aware of. Which, of course, she was.

"Not much of a _trick_ so far, Max," David remarked as he dangled his key chain in front of Max.

Max snatched them from the air, put them in her pockets, and before David had a chance to protest, she rewound. On the second go, David's expression was priceless. Chloe almost bowled over in laughter. That was months ago, and to this day David would still pester Max about how she did it.

Their success with David paved the way for many future hijinks. Chloe made it a weekly goal of hers to find some new creative way to prank one of the local townsfolk, be it the "main street drunk" and ex-cop Anderson Berry, or old acquaintances like Trevor and Justin. As long as the joke wasn't mean spirited, Max always found herself game to play. The look of childlike wonder on Chloe's face was always worth it. Max never tired of her brilliant smile and overjoyed laugh.

It wasn't long before Max found herself taking initiative on her own in such matters. Just a few weeks ago, she had meant to surprise Chloe at the grocery store. Her shift was supposed to end in a few minutes. While she hung back, waiting to pop out of hiding and startle her girlfriend, she observed a rather large, middle aged woman begin to raise her voice at the employee working the register. Who was, of course, none other than Chloe. Max listened with increasing interest--the woman was angry that Chloe forgot to run her coupon. Chloe was quite new to the register, only just recently having been given the shift after her tenure bagging groceries. Flustered, Chloe hit a few buttons and was punished with a negative beep from the computer. The customer grew more and more irate at Chloe's failure to complete the transaction.

"Honestly," the woman complained, projecting her voice so others could hear. "I don't know why I even bother coming here. It's overpriced, the selection is _dismal,_ and the employees are all a bunch of hairbrained morons! Honestly, the only thing these millennials are good at is posting pictures of their god-damn _meals_ to their social medias!" The customers standing behind her looked uncomfortable, shifting to and fro on their feet, but otherwise said nothing. Chloe muttered an apology as she, with increasing desperation, tried to figure out how to apply the coupon. Max could tell Chloe was restraining herself. No way Chloe "in the wild" would put up with this shit. And it was clear the irate customer was doing her best to put Chloe off balance.

"I haven't got all day, you know," the woman continued. "I've got three mouths to feed back home, and dinner ain't cooking itself!"

Max couldn't help but look at the contents spilling out of a few of the the lady's bags. Kraft Mac & Cheese. Frozen TV dinner meals. Max rolled her eyes, and an idea came to mind. Just the other day Chloe had been pressing her to be more bold with her power. To do something with it that Chloe didn't plan, or wasn't prepped to play backup for. This turned out to be one such moment. With a simple grace of confidence, Max stepped forward, walking directly up to the woman, first gaining, and then never breaking, eye contact. Chloe noticed Max's approach and waved with a pained expression, one that said "I'm happy to see you but this is horrible timing," but then noticed where Max's attention was focused. Within a moment, Chloe started grinning, leaning back onto the register, stopping all work entirely. She flipped out a pack of smokes, and lit a cigarette. Several people starting murmuring. One or two let lose an annoyed cough.

"Who the hell are _you_ supposed to be?" The lady had asked. She hadn't even noticed Chloe's impromptu break.

Max didn't offer a response. Instead, she swiped the the customer's coupon book off the counter. The large woman's eyes widened, her face began to red, and she started huffing. Chloe couldn't keep it in anymore. As she broke down laughing, she reminded Max, "Dude, I will _kill_ you if you don't tell me about this, okay?" Max just shot Chloe a smile back before returning to her original position to reset the scene. The outcome of the missing coupon book changed events completely. The woman spent almost a minute foraging around before finally giving up, looking put out and embarrassed. She paid the bill without complaint, looking cross and annoyed as she pushed her cart out the exit. Chloe, for her part, just looked bored throughout the interaction, occasionally glancing at the time.

Max always found Chloe's behavior in the moments _after_ she realized Max was going to execute both endearingly cute, and a little sad, all at the same time. For months Max stewed on whether or not Chloe was truly okay with losing these memories. When Max finally found the courage to bring it up, Chloe once again shocked her.

"Max, look, I hear you. But it's _totally_ okay. It's kind of cool, in a way. Because every time _you_ do it, it'll be _my_ first time." Chloe stopped to snicker. "Get it?"

"Dork," Max said with rolled eyes, giving Chloe a punch in the arm.

"Just, here, if you feel bad about it," Chloe persisted, while walking around Max, and throwing her arms around her body, pulling Max close. "We can make a pact where you always tell me what happened, and what I did."

"Actually," Max replied, lowering her head and leaning back into Chloe. "That _would_ make me feel better."

And so it was. Max took her responsibility seriously: she couldn't remember a single time since making that vow where she hadn't related to Chloe about how a rewind went down. And it _was_ exciting, witnessing that moment of realization on Chloe's face that she was in a dead timeline. Every time her reaction was authentic--original.

_It's funny. I would've thought she'd be terrified. Scared that her current "self" is about to be "erased." But she just takes it in stride, without a care in the world. How does she do that? Ugh, come on, Max. Back to reality.  
_

Kicking herself at stalling for as long as she had, Max sucked in a breath and lifted one foot forward. It was time to enter Blackwell Academy.

* * *

She didn't make it far. Before her hand even reached the door, a sneering male voice, emanating from behind, barked "out of the way, nerd." Max didn't even have time to turn around, or even move aside. The young man, who was flanked on his side by another individual, cleared the way by giving Max a harsh shove, sending her stumbling to the cement. Max just barely caught herself by whipping a foot back to a previous step, and throwing both palms out to catch her midsection before it hit the ground.

"Oww, fuck," she cursed. The cost of stopping her descent was a mean scrape on her right palm. "Great. Perfect way to start the year," she fumed.

Old Max would've made the comment, and continued on. Entered the building, gone to class. Kept her head down. But she _promised_ Chloe that she would start standing up for herself. That the days of being walked over were officially over.

_Okay, Chloe. This one is for you._

Max positioned herself where she stood before, but this time facing where the boys would be. Steadying herself, she rewound time, and watched carefully as the blurry shapes jaunted backwards from the building and down the steps. When they were at the base of the stairs, she stopped.

She couldn't suppress the sudden gasp that left her mouth. The pair came to hesitant halt, both looking up at the girl staring down at them from above. Looking _directly_ back up at her was Jacob Landhauser. At his side was another boy--the one who had pushed her. He had a face that look permanently twisted into a scowl. From his manicured brown hair to his expensive clothing, Max took an instant dislike to him. He seemed exactly like the sort of friend Jacob would make.

_What the hell is Jacob doing here, anyway? There's no way he actually enrolled at Blackwell...?_

Jacob creased his expression, and took a glance at his friend. "I suppose introductions are in order," Jacob began. "Maxine, meet Nathan Prescott. Nathan, Maxine here is that slimy bitch that I was telling you about earlier."

Somehow Nathan managed to scowl _even more_ as he looked Max over head to toe. "Doesn't look like much to me," he ascertained. Nathan immediately set about walking up the steps, obviously expecting Max to slink out of the way like a frightened cat. When she didn't, he came to a halt on the step below hers, their eyes now level with each other. Nathan gave a long, careful look, and raised his arm to shove Max backwards.

"Everything okay here?" A bright, chipper boy, with one of those voices that was both endearing and annoying at the same time, paused Nathan mid-motion. The newcomer looked at Max, Nathan, Jacob, and then back at Max again. It was clear that he, too, was on his way to class, and sensed a tense situation as he passed.

"None of your goddamn business, punk," Nathan growled while turning to face the boy, pressing a finger into his chest. The boy looked scared for a moment, then, in a sudden flash of courage, pushed back at Nathan. Nathan didn't need any more provocation. He took a swing, and just like that, a scuffle had begun. Jacob just hung back, folding his arms and rolling his eyes. Max was a bit bemused, and a little perplexed. She wasn't really sure what outcome she had expected out of this situation, but a nerdy young man jumping to defend her honor hadn't made the list.

As Nathan and her "hero" traded shoves and occasional jabs, Max started to feel a little weirded out. So she fell back on an old standby. She took a few steps back, raised her Polaroid, framed the shot, and snapped a picture, just as the newcomer found himself being slammed into the ground by Nathan. Max took a step back while flipping the photo in the air.

"Are we done yet?" Jacob asked from the base of the stairs. Nathan's opponent remained on the ground, nursing a bruise he took to his leg.

"Let's just get this day over with," Nathan complained as he brushed past Max, and entered Blackwell. Jacob followed in suite, refusing to look at or even address Max as he passed. Like she was a non-person, unworthy of his attention.

"Assholes," Max opined when they were both gone.

"You're telling me," the boy complained as he rose back to his feed and extended a hand to shake, which Max took.

"Warren. Warren Graham," he introduced with a pained smile.

"Max. Max Caulfield," Max replied. "Pleased to meet you."

* * *

_Wowsers, I thought he'd never go away! Oof. Too mean, Max. Too mean.  
_

Max shook her head, smiling, as she organized her new locker. The first, and most important, order of business was hanging a picture of Chloe on the door, placed prominent and center.

 _I mean, Warren seems nice and all. That was really cool how he stood up to Nathan and Jacob. All for a complete stranger, no less. But_ jeez _does that boy like to talk! Still, he seems kinda smart. I imagine he'll be a good person to know when exam time comes around. Plus, I'm under direct orders from my No. 1 Minion to make new friends. I guess I can check that one off the list.  
_

In the minutes following the altercation at Blackwell's entrance, Max had already traded numbers with Warren (at his behest), and had she not the excuse of needing to organize her locker, Max was pretty sure he'd still be hovering, chatting up a storm. When Warren learned that Max was into movies, he practically gushed for a minute straight about his favorite "cult classics," and how Max simply _had_ to see some of them. He did give an odd look when Max replied that she and her girlfriend would definitely be up for some sort of movie night, but quickly regained his earlier enthusiasm at the prospect of watching movies together.

Snapping back to the present, Max sensed that she was being watched as she slid a book into place in the locker. From the periphery of her left eye, Max observed a young woman lean her shoulder against the locker beside hers. Max could feel the intruder's intense gaze press into her person. Even though Max couldn't see her face fully, she had a sinking suspicion of who this was.

_Of course. First Jacob. Now..._

"Maxine Caulfield. You've some nerve enrolling at Blackwell. You are aware that this school is for _talented_ individuals, right?" Victoria's voice, tone, and condensation took Max back to her time at Arthur High, in Seattle. She couldn't recall a single positive interaction with Victoria--either the girl had ignored her, or teased and bullied her. Of course she would show up to torment her on the first day.

"Yes, _Victoria,_ " Max answered, turning her face to meet her eyes directly. "I'm here on an academic achievement scholarship. Full room and board."

Victoria blanched at the prospect of living in the same dormitory as Max.

Max rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, your worship. I've already got a place to live. Off campus."

Victoria _hmphed_ at Max's snide remark. "You're a one trick pony, Maxine. Everyone knows you're a self abusive little liar. I mean, honestly. Before it was just pathetic. But then _lying_ about it? On the record? In a courtroom? Everyone knows Calvin Young was a good man. His legacy isn't going to be tarnished but some wanna-be hipster yuppie."

_The hell does she even care? She was just friends with the Landhauser boys, for Christ's sake. Have they sunk their claws that deep into her? Or is this the product of unrequited love?  
_

With a sigh, Max turned her person to face Victoria, and placed a confident hand on her shoulder. A gesture the  _old_ Max would've never been so bold to make. Victoria was too surprised by Max's behavior to utter a response.

"Victoria," Max began, with an earnest sincerity in her voice. Of a parent explaining a simple fact to a petulant child. "All I did was tell the truth about what my uncle did to me. And I know that this might shock, or even amaze you, but I simply do not _give a shit_ whether or not you believe it."

With that, Max released Victoria, closed her locker, spun the combination wheel, and turned again to face Victoria directly.

_Okay, Max. This is it. She's blocking my way, and she's going to move. I just... I need to listen to Chloe's voice. I've got more power than a freakin' God, for goodness sake!_

Max took a step toward Victoria, who swiftly--almost instinctively--stepped aside. Max could swear she saw an expression of horror on Victoria's face. The feeling... was almost intoxicating.

_Holy shit. Is this what kids like her feel, all the time? Gotta admit, it's kind of nice. But... I need to stay true to myself. I'm not that same pushover you bulled practically to death in Seattle, Victoria. But I'm not going to become you. Blackwell Academy is going to see a new Max Caulfield. I'm ready for this. Chloe's ready. Are they?_

 


	2. Slippery Seconds

_Okay Max. Day's half over. I already feel like I have enough homework to last me a whole week. Do they seriously expect us to keep up with all these assignments? This isn't college, yet!_

Second period, European History, had just ended. With a calm sigh, Max slowly rotated the knob on the bathroom's faucet to its "off" position. The stream of water squeezed down to a steady drip, and Max took in the visage of herself staring back in the mirror before her.

After rotating through a rainbow of different haircolors, Max had finally settled back on her natural brunette. It just felt the most like "her." Chloe had seemed a touch disappointed, but got over it quickly. Eventually she came round to the notion, deciding it a good thing that she was the "loud, outrageous one," where Max was the more reserved, silent type. She had even reverted to clothes similar to her original apparel. A simple t-shirt with zip up hoodie with jeans was where she felt most comfortable. Though Chloe insisted on her wearing jeans that "actually fit."

A sidelong glance through the room informed her she was alone. The perfect opportunity for a save point. Chloe had come up with the concept, on a hot Summer day, many weeks ago. Her plan brought with it a piece of equipment: a simple wrist-worn stopwatch, which she had gingerly slid onto Max's arm, opposite the wrist that wore colored bands.

"So, we've already timed your maximum rewind length down to the second," Chloe explained. "And I've programmed this here stop watch to that! All you gotta do is find somewhere safe..."

Chloe leaned in close from behind, one arm slid comfortably around Max waist, another alongside Max's arm that beheld new her gadget.

"And hit the button," she concluded. The stop watch immediately showed the digits "0:00" and began counting up, second by second. It was a standard stopwatch. Max looked up at her girlfriend with a perplexed expression. Chloe had that stupid grin plastered on her face, apparently unaware that Max did not see the value in what was being given here.

"Gee, thanks Chloe," Max remarked, sarcastically.

Chloe bopped Max on the head. "I wasn't finished, doofus. Listen: when the timer hits 5:39, it'll start beeping and reset. That means you've hit your maximum rewind duration, and you shouldn't even try for it."

Early on Chloe and Max had thoroughly tested the limits of her rewind and learned it capped out at five minutes thirty nine seconds, exactly. An odd number, but, all things considered, no stranger than any other.

Max's eyes widened with understanding. They had talked a bit about this. How Max's rewind, and its teleporting side effect, could potentially be a _bit_ of an attention grabber. In cases where she'd moved over the course of the past few minutes, it would be safest if she rewound to a point in time where she was alone. With no one to witness her vanishing into thin air. Which, all things considered, might raise some eyebrows. Especially if performed in a crowded scholastic environment.

"Chloe, this is awesome!" Max exclaimed, turning to give her partner a tight hug. "So, all I need to do make sure no one can see me, and then hit the button. Until I see 5:39 show up on the watch, I can rewind without worries! Well, unless there's someone that might see me pop into existence."

"Exact-o-mundo, Max0rs. So when you're ready to rewind, just hit this here other button," The watch was now at two minutes, six seconds. When Chloe pressed the next button, the time began counting down from that mark.

"Oooh," Max whistled. "So, just before I execute my rewind, I hit the other button."

"And when it reads zero zero, you know you're good."

The additional feature was an affordance for the fact that electronic objects on her person kept time from _Max's_ perspective, even through the rewind (something they tested thoroughly). A fact that continually bamboozled her phone. Poor thing had to sync with remote time servers non stop, practically.

Max realized that right now, in this moment, was one such time. She had the bathroom to herself. If she needed to rewind the next few minutes, this provided an excellent opportunity. Of course, she had to rewind down to 0:00 on the stopwatch. Otherwise some hapless, observant individual might be in for one hell of a shock.

 _Seriously. It's only been half a day, but I'm doing pretty good so far. I don't want to be labeled a magical witch by the class body just yet. Gotta save_ something _for that Halloween party.  
_

Her summation of the day thus far was an understatement. Already, multiple numbers were added to her phone, and she had a dizzying number of names to remember. It had been only a few hours but word seemed to be getting around. That some girl stood up to Nathan Prescott. And she had received her _first ever_ party invitation, to boot. The offer came from a picturesquely beautiful young woman named Dana. The stereotypical embodiment of a cheerleader simply wouldn't take no for an answer. She didn't even seemed perturbed when Max asked if she could bring a plus one, a non-student, and that the addition would be a girl.

But the notion that standing her ground against this Nathan kid had any meaning at all was perplexing.

 _What's the big deal, anyway? Why do the kids here give a shit about the name "Prescott?" One more mystery for Detective Caulfield... Though, sure. The name means something to_  me _. But why so much everyone else?  
_

Max couldn't help but be brought back to that fateful day, over a year ago, when then-Arcadia Bay Police Officer Anderson Berry drove her to the police station to file papers. It was the first time in recent memory she heard the name Prescott, as the man delivered extra-judicial orders over the phone regarding Max and Chloe's fate to Officer Berry. In the time since, Max learned that Mr. Prescott and Eric Landhauser were best buddies from college. Some sort of fraternal bond, or whatever. The fact that his son, Nathan, was also a self-entitled asshole, came as absolutely no surprise at all.

Putting such thoughts aside, Max hit the button on the stopwatch, and made her exit from the bathroom.

_Okay. I've got a little over five minutes of buffer. I'm feeling good, and the day is going well. Let's play. I just have to be careful. As long as I rewind down to zero on the stop watch, no one will see me disappear, but someone might see me "poof" into existence.  
_

It took only one of said minutes to find her way to her next class, Physics, taught by a Mrs. Grant. The gentle looking African American woman appeared engrossed in some papers on her desk as Max made her entrance to the classroom, a few minutes left before the class was to officially begin. But Max came to a complete halt before even finding a seat. That feeling of having eyes being bored into her skull sent a chill down her spine. She glanced to the back corner of the classroom, and took in some begrudgingly familiar faces.

"Oh. Wonderful," Nathan grumbled from the back of the room, eyes focused directly on Max. "Here I was terrified I wouldn't have to see your ugly-ass face again today." Sitting beside him was Victoria, and, of course, Jacob. Victoria wouldn't even meet her gaze. She had apparently decided her phone held too much appeal to address Nathan's target. Jacob, on the other hand, shot her a confident glance. One that exuded that same _boredom_ Max had come to recognize over their tenure together in Seattle.

"Don't bother, Nathan," Victoria sighed without lifting her eyes from the screen in front of her. "She's just a pest. The more attention you give it, the worse it gets."

Jacob scoffed, and lazily returned his focus to the textbook on his desk. Nathan kept his eyes steeled on Max. And she _felt_ it, like a wall, pushing back. Edging her to sit somewhere far away, on the opposite side of the room. Her old self would've complied without hesitation. Without even _realizing_ what was happening. But that Max was dead. This Max had _done_ things, to survive. Horrible things. Things that gave perspective on "intense" situations like the one she faced right now.

Max shuffled her messenger bag, and strode directly towards the trio, edging her way nimbly between the narrow column of desks. She didn't stop until only inches separated her and Nathan's face, never breaking eye contact with the boy.

"Listen, you little slut--" He started. He never finished the sentence. Max hit the "reverse" button on her stop watch.

The rip and roar of time being forced backwards filled the atmosphere, and Max pushed it all backwards, eventually forcing her opponents from their seats. She kept going, keeping an eye on the count down, until the area was empty short of Mrs. Grant herself. Who, by all appearances, remained diligently focused on her reading. Max released the rewind, and found herself in an empty room, save for the teacher. Without a second thought, she took Nathan's seat.

_Mission accomplished, and no one should be the wiser. Let's see how this goes down._

It was funny how time moving _forward_ seemed to cost so much more than going back. As the painfully boring seconds ticked away, Max idly thumbed her hands together, becoming a little nervous, all alone in the back off the room. It was always the moments leading to the storm that would make her ill at ease. When the cadre of wanna-be tormentors finally entered the room, she eyed them all one by one, daring any of them to approach her chosen spot.

Nathan almost had to do a double take. As if, for a moment, he couldn't conceptualize the fact that the uppity girl from the steps this morning had taken _his spot_. With a sneer, he directed Victoria and Jacob to the other end of the back row, taking the opposite corner of the classroom as their own.

_See, and fear me, all ye beasts of the wildlands. Hear me roar!  
_

Chuckling to herself, Max paid no heed to the repeated glances Victoria gave her way. It was clear the behavior of "new Max" had an effect on her would-be bully. But they left her alone, keeping a quiet conversation going amongst themselves. But, about a minute after "real time" caught up with itself, Max nearly leapt from her seat. A new student had entered the room, looking a tad lost, and a bit out of sorts. Like she was having a particularly hard day.

"Kate!" Max yelled from the back.

Instantly, Kate lifted her head and saw Max for the for time. A smile quickly grew on her face. Max pointed to the seat beside her, pantomiming a seating motion. Kate took the hint, and carefully worked her way back. Kate looked almost exactly as Max remembered her. Raised hair, a trim and fitted dress suit, and that dangling cross around her neck were still all present.

_I hope I'm not being too forward. It's not as if we knew each other that well, back in Seattle. But, she did help me when no one else would. Guess she's one of those Christians that actually walks the walk?_

"Oh, great. If it isn't little good-miss-two-shoes," Victoria groaned. "Just when I thought this place couldn't get any more square."

"Ignore her," Max apologized as Kate took the seat beside hers. "She's got a terrible case of the jellies."

Victoria half coughed, half scoffed at Max's explanation. "As _if_ ," she crowed from the safety of her seat. "I--nevermind." With a brisk wave of a hand, Victoria returned her attention to her cell phone.

"Max, it's so good to see you," Kate said after settling into her seat beside Max. "We were all so worried when you disappeared."

"Thanks, Kate. Yeah, there were some rough... moments. But I'm past it now." Raising her voice to be sure the whole room could hear, she continued, "That asshole uncle of mine can't hurt me anymore."

Victoria shifted in her seat, looking slightly uncomfortable at the remark, but didn't say anything in reply.

"So it's true?" Kate questioned. "What he did to you? I mean, I heard some reports about it, but never really followed up..."

"It's okay, Kate. And... yeah. I don't like to think about it."

Kate put a hand on Max's shoulder, and gave a slight nod.

"Well, I'm here Max, if you ever need to talk about it. And it's actually really nice to see a friendly face. The day has been so hectic so far!"

"So, Kate," Max asked, "are you living in the dorms?"

"Room 222," Kate replied. "And you? We did a meet and greet the other day, but I didn't see you anywhere."

"I'm living off campus," Max explained. "Though I think I'm beginning to regret not taking them up on the offer. A dorm room could've been like having a walk-in locker."

Kate brought her free hand to her mouth and giggled--a bright and beautiful sound--and released Max's shoulder, turning to correct herself in her seat, straightening her posture, her forlorn expression replaced with a comfortable smile.

_It's so awesome Kate is here! Small world, much? I wonder why she decided to transfer to Blackwell? Anyway. I can already tell we're going to be fast friends._

A new voice brought Max's attention to the front of the room once more.

"Max!" Warren exclaimed. He seemed so surprised that he almost dropped a few of his books, and had to do a mad shuffle in place to keep them from spilling onto the floor.

"Hi, Warren," Max waved back, motioning to the seat in front of her. Warren didn't need to be asked twice. He briskly bumped his way down the isle, slamming down into the seat Max had pointed to. She now had Kate to her right, and Warren to her front.

_And so, the mighty Max assembles her very own Arcadian Goonsquad. I'm sure Chloe would approve. I'll make her lieutenant!_

"How's the leg, loser?" Nathan questioned with a sneer while staring down Warren.

Warren froze for a moment, looking a little uncomfortable. Understandable, really--he did technically lose the little scuffle between him and Nathan this morning. He had done his best to brush it under the rug, but he did take a nasty fall. Max was sure there was blood staining inside of his jeans. Much like her own hand, which still stung a bit. Chloe was going to go apeshit over that tonight, no doubt.

_Seriously. Are all Prescotts just born evil, or something? It seems like being around them, or affected by them, is just bad karma._

"Ignore him, Warren," Max replied before Warren could muster a retort.

It was only a minute till class start and the room had begun to fill. Only a scattered few desks remained vacant. Max wasn't sure where it came from, but she felt a pressing desire to push her luck an inch further. To do something a bit out of character. Perhaps it was Chloe's influence. Or the high of so many consecutive social victories. So she raised her voice, and continued speaking to Warren--but really, to the whole room.

"Posers like Prescotts and Landhausers _dream_ they could be as cool as us." Max couldn't help but notice Jacob perk up at the sound of his last name being spoken. "But they're too busy lying out their asses, defending serial abusers and dirty cops. It's sad, really. Did I tell you Nathan's douche-bag dad got an Arcadia Bay police officer _fired_ because he helped me, against his wishes?"

Max wasn't sure when, or even how, to stop. Part of it was simply pent up _rage_ at the injustice of it all. She hadn't _asked_ for _any_ of what happened, to happen. She didn't ask for her father to get killed in an accident. She didn't ask for her drunk of an uncle to move in and start assaulting her. She didn't ask for her mother to cut off any and all emotional support, and brand her a liar. Most of all, she didn't _ask_ to become a killer. Even if that little fact was something known only by her and Chloe. It still stung, and even if Calvin deserved every square inch of weight that engine pressed on down onto him, her part in his death would never be something about which she was proud.

A tense quiet fell over the room when Max finished her statement. Apparently the names "Prescott" and "Nathan" had caught the attention of a few students, who then hushed their classmates around them. A few whispers lingered in the air, asking "is that the girl?" The now familiar sensation of having "all eyes in the room" focused on her, Max slowly turned her head from looking at Warren, to gaze directly at Jacob Landhauser. He was already intently focused on her, a grim expression on his face. Amazingly, he spoke.

"Careful, Maxine. It would be a true pity to see you suffer a similar fate as Officer Berry."

A steady wave of murmurs permeated through the classroom. Hushed whispers flamed into loud chatter. In the commotion, Max felt her attention narrow, focusing in on her opponents situated across the room. The noise of her classmates became a white buzz, completely unintelligible. What she  _did_ notice was small, almost trivial. It was the sly curl that grew on Nathan's lips. Despite all her newfound confidence, it gave Max an involuntary shiver. But the bell rang, and Mrs. Grant, who had remained holistically engrossed in her papers, reared in the student's attention, and started class. Quantum Physics wasn't going to teach itself.

* * *

Max flopped herself down on the first bus seat that called to her, and slipped on a pair of ear buds. It was time to zone out. To watch life's evening parade. It was crazy how much had happened in just one day at school. She'd made at least two friends, a dozen acquaintances, and even gotten invited to a _party_. In all Max's life, she had never been invited to a party. And by one of the obviously "popular" kids, no less. It was, truly, an amazing thing to behold.

Max shuffled into her seat further, trying to get comfy for the trip home. She eventually settled on a slouched position, both knees pressed against the seat in front of her. Chloe, regrettably, had to work these hours today. She had been pretty put out about it last week, when she got her schedule.

"This is such bullshit," Chloe complained. "I'm not even gonna be able to pick up my girl on her first day at school!"

"Chloe," Max giggled, wrapping her girlfriend into a hug. "It's fine, really. I'll be okay. The school bus shuttle runs pretty often, and it takes me close to home."

She felt Chloe stir in her arms at the phrase. Chloe, Max had come to realize after a short while, _really_ liked it when Max referred to the Price household as "home." For all her brash talk of how horrible domestic life had been, she seemed plenty fine with it now. Max took no small amount of pride in confessing to herself that it was _her presence_ that made the qualitative difference.

_It's almost sick, in a way, how bonded we are to each other. Like, I seriously don't think I could go more than a few days without feeling her arms around me... Or her lips... on mine. Or, gazing into those blue eyes..._

A buzz from Max's phone pried her out of the daydream.

 **Chloe:** how was day one of pansy-prep? this girl needs deets, stat!

 **Max:** This time warrior both divided and conquered. Opponents tremble her in wake.

 **Chloe:** THAT'S MY GIRL

 **Max:** Seriously though, I have a mountain of homework. It's ridiculous what they expect us to be able to do in a week.

 **Chloe:** too bad they didn't take into account your mad powers

It was true. Max did have a somewhat unfair leg up from her classmates when it came to available hours in the day to study.

 **Chloe:** gotta get back to work. i expect a full report ready by the time I get home

 **Max:** <3

 **Chloe:** NO EMOJ... fuck it, i give up

A brisk few minutes later, the bus reached its stop and Max disembarked, taking in a deep breath of fresh air, and letting the cool tranquility of Chloe's neighborhood wash over her. It was a marked change from life in Seattle. Even in the more "boonie" parts of the city, there were few places that had the same laid-back charm as a quiet Arcadian Bay neighborhood.

_And to think I spent so many years just trying to forget all this. What would've happened, if I never ran into Chloe again?_

"Hello?" Max called out as she entered her home, popping out the ear buds and lying her bag down on the entry way floor.

"Max!" Joyce called from the living room. "How was your first day?"

_Oh my god. That smell. She didn't. She did? She baked cookies. If only I could rewind food out of my stomach... I think I'd eat the whole batch!_

"Great!" Max answered as she strode down the hall, locating Joyce on the couch. She was sipping on a cup of coffee, flipping through an old photo album placed on her lap.

"To state the obvious, it smells _amazing_ in here, Joyce."

Joyce leaned her head around to reply to Max. With a full smile, she answered "They still need another ten minutes or so to set. Be sure to eat as many as you can before Chloe gets home."

"Duly noted," Max giggled, eyeing the spread of baking sheets on the dining table, each full to the brim with chocolate chip cookies browned to perfection. Their pull was tantalizing, but Max held her hand, and instead took a seat on the couch beside Joyce. The album was full of pictures from years ago, when Max and Chloe were just kids. The current page held a photo of them dressed up as pirates; a candid shot of them on the play set, while either William or Joyce snapped an image as they played.

"Jeez, I can't believe you still have all these."

"I know, I'm old. Still haven't gotten with these computerized times."

"Hey, preaching to the choir, Joyce."

Over the course of the past year, Max had entrenched more fully in her retro-style aesthetics and equipment. Chloe had splurged with some of the Landhauser cash and got her an authentic analogue record player setup. This lead to a minor, though potent, obsession with building a large vinyl collection. Throwing on a record and hanging out in their room, typically while Chloe toked up a little, quickly became a favorite past time. Max had even found the smell of marijuana, even though she never smoked herself, to become somewhat nostalgic. It felt like Chloe.

 _It's kind of odd how happy we are to actually_ not _do anything. Just... hang out, chill on the bed for hours at a time._

"God," Joyce began, "these sure do bring back memories." She ran her hand over a photo that showed Chloe and William together, the father with her arm around his daughter.

Max placed a hand on Joyce's shoulder. "I miss him too, Joyce. But, I think he'd be happy, to see where we're at now. We've all found love again, and managed to move on."

"Max, I do swear. Sometimes you are wise beyond your years."

* * *

A small plate of cookies to one side, and her journal placed directly in front of her, Max found herself recording the events of the day while sitting at the desk in their room. Starting from the altercation on the steps, there was almost too much content to recount. With a sigh, she slouched back in the chair idly looked over their shared room. Chloe had kept the room's punk rock, hazily depressing style, but Max had managed to make an impression as well. A small photo wall had sprung up over by the door, littered with selfies of her and Chloe looking far happier than any couple had any right to. Chloe had initially blanched at the idea of strung up lights, but seemed to come round to the idea once Max insisted.

Her gaze lingered throughout the room, and as had happened so often in the past, settled on the spot in the closet that held the case containing the money. The _stolen_ money. Although hidden from view, Max couldn't not think about it, and the uneasy  doubts it attached to their lives. Would Eric Landhauser ever come looking for it? How much did he know, about her and Chloe?

 _Last I checked, he was still embroiled in a lawsuit brought by Mr. Amber. Surely that's been consuming his attention. And he never said a word about Calvin, and the disastrous mission he sent him on. But... I remember they were both suspicious. Would he really just let us go? Or would he try to keep tabs on us? Oh... Oh_ shit _._

Jacob Landhauser. Why was he really here, in Arcadia Bay? To be sure, Blackwell was a good school. Had one of the better photography programs in the country. But would it be _Jacob's_ choice? Or did his father, Eric, send him?

_Like I could just ask him. Though... I suppose I could! With my rewind. See how he responds. "Hi Jacob! Did your mean 'ol dad send you here to see if we stole fifty grand from him a year ago?" Hmm. Yeah, let's see what Chloe thinks. Speaking of which, I should run another test.  
_

Chloe had insisted on taking a pseudo-scientific approach to understanding Max's power. An important metric they both highlighted early on was performing repeated trials of her maximum rewind length. But it had been at 5:39 for so long now, that Max had practically stopped bothering to check. With a sigh, realizing that this exercise would add as many minutes and seconds to the time till Chloe got home, she packed her journal onto her person (so as not to lose her progress) and began the experiment.

As the world warped and whirled around her, Max considered the "hard stop" limitation they had discovered. The initial use of her power set a limit--a milestone in the past beyond which she could _not_ rewind. Even if she immediately tried to rewind after exhausting herself at five minutes thirty nine seconds, she would not be able to rewind past that original 5:39 mark. It was a strange limitation, though in Max's mind, it made a certain amount of consistent sense. That her initial rewind created a sort "window" of time in the past in which she could play, but only within that buffer. Once time "caught up" with itself, the buffer would reset, and the next rewind would create a new milestone in the past.

Max felt her head seize with pain, indicating that the maximum threshold had been reached. With a disjointed huff, she glanced at the duration, which would of course read the ever so boring five minutes thirty nine seconds. Except, this time, it _didn't_. It read five minutes twenty five seconds.

_Wait... what? No way. Am I just feeling off? Stress from the day at school?_

The pit of worry growing inside her, Max studiously watched the clock until enough time had passed that her power would "reset." She ran the test again. Five minutes, twenty five seconds.

_I... this isn't right. This has to be fluke. Nothing... nothing to worry about. I'm sure everything will be back to normal tomorrow. Today has been totally cray. No need to worry Chloe about it._

Even as she tried to convince herself of the thought, Max knew, deep down, that something was wrong. There had been plenty of instances over the past year when she tested her power after an exhausting day. And the measurement had always read five minutes thirty-nine seconds. Until now, it had been an unbroken metric. An immutable, final constant. Chloe had even built her amazing stop watch around it.

Max flopped down on the bed, hugging her legs to her chest, trying hard to keep her mind from racing. She bit her lip, painfully unsure of what this meant, if it meant anything at all. Today had gone so well. More than all else she wanted to relate to Chloe how confident she had been. The absolution she had carried while successfully trouncing her opponents. How she gracefully made a host of new friends and acquaintances. Bringing this... disturbance... up would sour all that. She knew, deep down, Chloe would be instantly worried.

_It's just a fluke. Chloe's going to be so excited to hear about my conquests today... I don't want to take that from her. Especially when I'm sure this will amount to nothing._

But that deep seeded feeling remained. That something was slipping away, bit by bit. That her rewind--as inexplicably as it had come--was fading. Was leaving her adrift, a hapless individual in a sea of madness.


	3. Pressing the Envelope

"Max!"

The words felt ethereal. Like they had been carried a great distance, transported to her ears on a gust of wind. Must be a flight of imagination. Max knew Chloe couldn't help her here; not in this space. All around her, the vision emanated its steady hum. A deep, unnerving tone permeating reality, giving a soft, but powerful, voice to its presence.

Just as in every other vision she had experienced, Max was a passenger. A full bodied witness to a private horror of her past, completely bereft of any controlling agency. She was literally a prisoner in her own body, reliving events as they had once unfolded, not so long ago. This memory was one of the worst, though it hadn't started in earnest yet. But she knew what events the next few minutes would bring. It was at night, on what was supposed to be a joyous day--December 25th. But what had instead become the worst Christmas in memory. Calvin was outside, getting roaring drunk. Vanessa was gone, off partying with friends. While Max, still grappling with the fact that this was the first Christmas without dad, lay on her bed, praying that Calvin would just pass out on the couch.

" _Max!_ "

The words were louder this time, though still impossibly distant. Max could almost discern the identity of the speaker. But she knew, beyond doubt, that such a notion was wishful thinking. Chloe couldn't reach her here. They had tried--experimented, really--during previous visions. When Max was in this state, she was cut off. The outside world was a million miles away.

_Right now I'm probably convulsing, somewhere. What was the last thing I did before being plucked to this hell? Am I in bed? Am I at school? God, I wish these weren't so lucid..._

When trapped in this state, Max always had a little trouble remembering what, exactly, she was doing before. Like she _knew_ , but that the knowledge was just out of reach--an intangible piece of knowledge dangled tantalizingly close. The harder she reached for it, the further it slipped away.

_This is so unfair! It's been ages since I've had one of these. Why now? Why are they back? I thought I was getting better. Haven't I suffered enough? If only I could control my body, maybe I could do something. Hide somewhere, wait it out. But if this really is related to my powers, would that change things? Am I really "back" in this moment, right now? Or is this just a memory, enhanced by my powers?  
_

Every time they happened, Max would try to gain some control over events. But like all past visions, it was as futile now as every other time. All she could do was wait, watch, feel, experience, and pray for it to end quickly.

Max felt her body's heart rate increase as she heard Calvin stumbled his way down the hall, rapping once on her door. Her past self knew what was coming.

_I... I can't keep going through this. This isn't living! I can't go through life terrified that, at any moment, I'll be whisked away to relive my worst moments!_

"Max," Calvin slurred, slumping his body against the doorway. "Merry Christmas."

* * *

"MAX!"

Crying? Chloe was crying. Reality slid back into focus, like a lens being adjusted by a sloppy amateur. Her room back in Seattle, along with its pain and horrors, had vanished. Max found herself in bed--her _real_ bed. Her chest was thumping as if she had just completed a marathon. Her body felt wet: Max quickly realized she was covered head to toe in cold sweat. The lack of any light informed her it must be the middle of the night. In the darkness, she could make out Chloe's face filling her vision, leaning over her, one hand on a shoulder, the other cupping her cheek. Streaks from recent tears stained her complexion.

"M-Max, please, _please_ , come back..." she half sobbed, half pleaded.

"C-Chloe?" Max managed. Her mouth was dry--like it was full of cotton balls.

"Oh God, Jesus, fuck, thank you," Chloe collapsed down, forcing the air from Max's lungs. She couldn't bring herself to mind. The vision had released its grasp on her, at last. Max let the safety of home, the soft sheets and covers, and of Chloe, wash over her. The girls each wrapped the other in a tight embrace, speaking no words for several minutes, instead just taking comfort in the physical presence the other brought.

_Oh, Chloe... I'm not the only one this is hell for. I can't imagine what it must be like, to watch, and know what's happening. What I'm going through. And still, not be able to do anything..._

Chloe nuzzled her head into Max's shoulder, her hands caressing Max's back, reducing her remaining shivers and convulsions, which always followed the visions like aftershocks from an earthquake. Max closed her eyes, kissing the top of Chloe's head, while tightening her grip around Chloe's back.

"Is everything okay?" A voice, Joyce's, came from behind the door. "We heard screaming."

For once, Chloe didn't jump at the opportunity for innuendo. "It's okay, Mom," she answered. "We're cool. J-just a nightmare."

"Okay..." Joyce replied, though she didn't sound convinced. From the bed, they both listened as Joyce's footsteps returned to her room. Max drew in a deep breath, squirming a bit, and nudged Chloe to let her rest on top. She complied without hesitation. Resting into their new positions, Chloe was the first to speak.

"Max... it's been months. Almost half a year! I thought these were over..."

"Me too, Chloe. I--" Max paused to gulp, and steady her words. The adrenaline from the vision still coursed through her veins, making even a simple task such as speech difficult. "I don't know. We-we never figured this out. If... if it keeps up, I can start those meds again. I never completed my past prescription."

Chloe didn't say anything. Max knew that, like her, Chloe suspected that this was more than simple PTSD. But the supernatural aspect wasn't something they could explain to a psychiatrist. But at the same time, they had to make some public effort towards getting Max help. Joyce and David had insisted once they witnessed Max in her seizure-state.

"Chloe?" Max ventured, after another long silence.

"I'm here, Max."

"Something _was_ different, this time. I thought it was just wishful thinking, but I swear I could hear you, within the vision, calling my name..."

Chloe's eyes widened, her face forming a shocked expression, tinged with hope. "You're sure? You heard me?"

Max lowered her eyes, feeling suddenly sheepish. It could've just been a flight of fancy. Was it wise to tell Chloe, and potentially give her false hope?

_Even if it was just my imagination, I need to give her something. I know how much she hates feeling powerless. At least, if it happens again, she'll have something to latch onto. Something to give her hope._

"I'm sure, Chloe." Max replied.

"It's horrible, watching you like that," Chloe whispered after a few minutes of silence. "I fucking hate it. Do you think... maybe it was because of your fight today?"

Max had related her scuffle with Nathan and Jacob to Chloe after she had gotten home from work. Chloe was livid after seeing her scraped hand, threatening to go down to Blackwell right now and "beat the shit out of" Nathan and Jacob. She finally settled down after repeated assurances from Max that it wasn't as bad as it looked.

"I dunno... maybe? Not as if I get into many fights."

"I swear, if I see either of those two dick heads, they're fucking dead," Chloe grumbled.

"I'll just be more careful, in the future. Besides, it won't be so easy for Nathan to push me around next time. I've got an honor guard, now."

Despite the gravity of the situation, Max's joke extracted a small laugh from Chloe. "You're hella gonna have to introduce me to your new peeps. Especially this _Warren_ character."

It was Max's turn to chuckle. "He's harmless, really, Chloe. He just saw someone being bullied, and tried to help out."

"Or to try and rescue a damsel in distress, more like," Chloe countered.

"Trust me," Max said dismissively. "I'll get this movie night thing planned out. You'll meet him, and you two will nerd out. Just wait." Max yawned, feeling suddenly tired now that the jitters from the vision had faded. She let out a breath, and relaxed further into Chloe's arms. "Everything... everything is going to be okay," she muttered, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Max rubbed her eyes, trying to remain focused. First period had only just finished, the day was already dragging. Last night didn't offer the best of sleep, with the visions, the talk with Chloe, and the ensuing cuddle-time. Max shut her locker, and leaned her forehead against the door, clutching a few books to her chest.

"There you are," a voice from behind exclaimed. "Get over here, Max! We need your help with something."

Max turned around and saw Dana Ward, the cheerleader girl she met yesterday, leaning out the door of the drama room, making "come here" motions with her hands. There was something really quite nice about being sequestered away by one of the obviously popular kids. Nice, and strange. Max was used to having their attention, but not like this.

_Okay, guess I better go see what she wants. Seriously though, I just want this day to be over. Need more sleep._

Max trudged her way through the crowded hall, and when she got close, Dana took her free hand and lightly pulled her into the room. Props, outfits, posters, and other drama-related paraphernalia littered every available inch of its interior. A small practice stage was situated in the middle of the room, and students milled about, looking for props, or rehearsing lines to one another. But Max hardly had a moment to take it all in. Dana closed the door behind her and placed a hand on Max's shoulder, leaning in close to explain.

"This year we're going to be putting on a production of the Pied Piper. Listen, Max, you should definitely try out for this role. You'd be _perfect_. And it'd totally impress that love puppy Warren."

Dana's statement was too much to unpack. Performing in a play? Her? Laughable. And what was Dana on about, with Warren? Max already spoke about bringing a girl as a date to the Halloween party. Something lost in translation?

 _Of all the crazy things "new Max" might do, getting up on stage is still pretty far down on the list. All those lights, and attention, focused on me? No thank you! There's a reason I'm most comfortable as a_  photographer.

"Dana, I--"

"My word,"  the only in adult in the room proclaimed with an over exaggerated gasp. "She's perfect, Dana. But can she--" the man paused to make a sweeping motion with his arm, raising it up into the air, "-- _act?_ "

_Ah, this must be the drama teacher._

Dana shoved a script into Max's hands. "Max, just read these lines," she pointed to a character's name on the page, "Don't worry, I'll be your partner."

Dana took a step back, cleared her throat, and began. At first, Max could barely speak the dialog without stumbling over her own words. The teacher frowned, saying "okay, thank you for your time Max, but we really have to-"

Max rewound a bit, and took another crack at it.

 _I mean, it's not like I actually want to do this. But it'd be nice to know if I_ could. _I wonder what Chloe would think of me acting in a play, anyway?_

The second attempt yielded better results, and Dana whispered a hint of encouragement in her ear. But the drama teacher still didn't seem overly impressed. However, by the third try, Max had the lines memorized. With more earnest emotion, she let the dialog sheet fall to her side, and spoke directly to Dana, even acting out the dialog with body language. The teacher's eyes widened, and took Max completely by surprise.

"Astonishing. Max, you simply _must_ take this part. The play would be at a dire loss sans your magnificent presence!"

 _Hoo, okay there. This guy is a little weird. Quirky weird, though. Not_ weird _weird. He seriously did just offer me the part though. How insane is that!? I can't be in a play!  
_

"Um, thanks and all," Max said while taking a step back and bringing an arm to her shoulder, "but I'm not actually taking drama. I'm not even in the club!"

Dana flicked a finger lightly on Max's forehead. "Not a requirement, Max. You pass the audition? You get the part." Clasping her hands together, and smiling fiercely, Dana actually  _swooned_ a little. "I knew you could do this! You're going to be so great, Max. We're going to have so much fun together!"

 _Wait a second. Hold your horses, I haven't said "yes" yet!_ _Should I just rewind it all, and bomb it, like I did the first time?_

Max looked at Dana, who looked positively on airs as she chatted with the drama teacher, both of them taking glances at Max. Apparently they were already discussing the costume.

_I... well, how bad could it be? I mean, if I fib on stage, I can just fix it. No need for this actress to "break a leg." Plus, now that I really think about it, Chloe might be super into this. She could sit in the front row, and cheer me on. And I could show her off to everyone in the after party... There'll be an after party, right? Plus, it'd be a great way to merge school and home life a bit. I guess I'll give a tentative yes, and see what Chloe has to say._

But the dragon in the back of her mind reared its head at the thought of relying on her rewind. Max tested her maximum rewind time again this morning, and it remained at the new normal: five minutes, twenty five seconds. It could just be her power normalizing, finding its true limitations, like a house settling over time onto its foundations. In which case, there was nothing to be worried about. But the pestering doubts wouldn't lie still.

_Well, it's not as if I'd need much rewind time, to correct a mistake during a performance. A few seconds would do the trick._

"Dana," Max interrupted, trying to get her attention. "Um, so, I need to check and make sure I have enough time. This is all pretty sudden."

"Of course, of course," Dana winked. She turned back to the drama teacher and answered "that's a yes" in a mock-whisper tone, loud enough that Max could hear. The teacher gave a thumbs up, and then turned his attention to another student.

Max opened her mouth to protest, but then thought the better of it. She could talk to the drama teacher later, alone, if she needed to back out. But now that the germ of the thought had been planted in her head, Max found herself liking the idea more and more. It would be a good way to further broaden her horizons. Meet new people, make an impression, and all that. But what held the most appeal was Chloe being proud of her, and getting to show her off to everyone.

_Also, what was Dana saying about Warren, again? I think someone's got the wrong idea here._

"I seriously do need to get to my next class now, Dana," Max said, motioning towards the exit.

"I'll walk you there," Dana replied, grabbing her bag off the table.

As they made their way down the hall, Max couldn't help but notice the frequently repeated "Vortex Club" posters. They advertised some sort of party, happening a week from today's date.

Eager to learn more, Max decided to scrub her new friend for knowledge. "Hey, Dana. Do you know what's up with this Vortex club thing?"

"Oh, don't mind that, Max. I mean, It's cool, I guess. I'm actually a member, myself. But it's almost as much an obligation as a privilege. The parties are funded by Prescott money, so they're actually really awesome. But, you do have to put up with Nathan, and others like him. Kinda worth it though. Again, the parties they put on are best-in-class, and club members automatically get into the VIP section."

_Interesting. So the school lets the Prescotts throw wild parties?_

"Blackwell and the Prescotts seem to go hand in hand," Max remarked, hoping to hedge more information out of Dana.

Dana rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. I mean, I'm living in the _Prescott Dormitories_."

_Yeesh. Maybe I dodged a bullet by living at home. And I might have to watch my step around here. Just how much influence does Mr. Prescott have over my school?_

"Oh, and Max," Dana stopped, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Do yourself a solid, and keep the fact that _I_ encouraged you to do the audition our little secret? People will think it's much cooler if you got it because _you_ wanted it."

_Oookay... not as if I can really refuse her, but still. Kind of an odd request._

"Sure thing, Dana," Max reassured.

"Awesome, Max. Alright, here we are," she motioned as they came to a stop at Max's next class. "I gotta run too, but I'll see you soon, Max. No backing out now, you gotta promise!"

Max gave her a smile, and waved as she made her leave.

* * *

"Awesome room, Kate," Max complimented, a small hint of jealousy in her voice. She did love living with Chloe--their room together was like their personal cocoon, a place of refuge against the insanity of reality. But still, having a place on campus, with the rest of the students, did have its own appeal. And surely Chloe could've sneaked in for overnight slumber parties. Though Chloe's smoking habits would probably be a bit of a problem.

"Thanks Max. I'm still working on decorations, but I am trying to make it feel like home." Max took in the numerous religious decorations, quotes, and pictures.

_Wow, I kinda got that she was into the whole God thing, but it really does seem to define her._

"So your family takes religion pretty seriously then," Max ventured.

Kate laughed as she poured a cup of tea for each of them as they sat on the floor. "That would be an understatement. Church on Sunday, Bible study on Wednesdays, food kitchen on Thursdays, youth group on Mondays. Plus whatever else might come up. It was a busy life."

Max couldn't imagine having so much of her free time regulated to such a degree. "Wowsers. How did you have any time for homework?"

"I barely did. But you find hours in the day," she answered, handing Max a steaming cup, which she took gratefully.

_I'm more of a coffee person, but I'd be lying if I didn't say this smells amazing. And the cheese and crackers is a nice touch as well.  
_

After the third class of the day, both Kate and Max learned they had a break at the same time, so Kate ventured the idea of having a tea session. Max practically jumped out of her shoes at the invitation.

_I hope I didn't come off as too needy. It's just... no one's ever up and invited me over to their place before, just to chat, and eat. It feels nice. And oh-my-god is that a bunny?_

Max's hands instinctively went for her Polaroid as she crept up on the rabbit's cage. "May I?" she asked Kate, who nodded back with a smile. The flash went off, and Max returned to her seat, sliding the capture into her messenger bag.

"It's great how much you like taking pictures, Max," Kate remarked. "I wish I could work up the same enthusiasm."

"It looks like you've got plenty in your life to be enthused about, Kate."

Kate looked sheepish for a second before replying. "Yes, I suppose I do. So, Max. Pretty amazing that not only you and I transferred to Blackwell, but that Victoria and Jacob are also here."

"Tell me about it. I mean, I guess we're all wanna-be photographers, and Blackwell's got a top program. Still, what are the odds, right?"

"I don't think it was random chance, Max," Kate said while taking a sip. "What happened to you back in Seattle was beyond unfair. I did some reading up on it, last night. But now that both Victoria and Jacob are here, it's everybody's chance to make things right. I know, if we all just talk through our problems, we'll see that we're not so different. Victoria's attitude towards you--how she treated you--it has to be some sort of horrible misunderstanding."

Max shook her head softly. "I wish I could give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe Victoria could come around. I've already re-established the tone of our relationship. But Jacob... there's bad history between me and his whole family. And I don't think he's the forgive and forget type."

"I was in the cafeteria, that day, when Victoria read your journal aloud. What she did was unbelievably cruel, Max. And I'm so sorry I didn't stand up, and say something. Especially now that I know the truth about what happened to you."

"Whoa, hey," Max said, putting a hand on Kate's shoulder. "I mean, thanks, Kate, but it's good you stayed silent. There wasn't anything you could've done."

"If you say so, Max." Both girls looked at the ground, the walls, anywhere but each other, for a moment. Kate coughed, and continued, "So, Warren seems pretty interested in hanging out with you."

_What is with everyone and talking to me about Warren? Do I have a sign on my back or something?_

"Yeah," Max began hesitantly, "he seems pretty cool. I'm sure just being in his presence will raise my GPA by a few decimal points."

Kate returned an odd look at Max, and took another sip of tea. "I spoke with him a bit yesterday afternoon, after you had left campus. He seemed very interested in knowing more about you."

 _Great. I guess I didn't make things clear? Way to go, Max. All the retries in the world and you_ still _can't communicate clearly. Speaking of which... how does Kate feel about same sex relationships? She's clearly religious, but at the same time, I just can't see her getting all judgey. Then again, you never really know a person. I guess I can test the waters, and rewind if it doesn't go down well. Though, should I? Do I want to be friends with someone who doesn't accept my lifestyle?_

Max bit her lip, and took a step towards the metaphorical ledge. "You don't think he's--like interested in me like _that,_ do you?"

Kate raised an eyebrow, and put her cup back down on the floor. "Honestly Max, I don't have much practical experience with that sort of thing, so I'm probably not the right person to ask. I gather from your tone, though, that _you're_ not?"

"I'm already in a relationship, is all," Max deflected.

_Booo! Come on, Max. Way to cop out._

"That's wonderful!" Kate exclaimed, oblivious to Max's internal conflict. "What's his name?"

Max bit her lip again, this time feeling a bit of sweat on her brow.

_Come on, Max. Stop being such a coward. Rip this band-aid off._

" _Her_ name, is Chloe," she finally answered.

Kate didn't respond for a moment, clearly taking a second to process Max's response. "Oh! I, I see."

"That's... okay? I know the church isn't really big on, well, you know..."

"You're not wrong. But Max..." she trailed off, apparently trying to find words. "Friendship, and treating others with love and respect, is more important to me than dogma. And thank you for being honest. I get the feeling that a lot of people... hide things, or don't tell me things. Like I'm too innocent, or something, to handle it."

Max _harrumphed,_ and said "Well, you don't need to worry about me, Kate. I'll always be direct with you."

Kate smiled, looking a little blushed. "So. Tell me about this _Chloe_..."

 


	4. Slight of Mind

The end of Max's second day of school at Blackwell Academy concluded, an event that brought with it no small sense of relief. The lack of sleep, combined with the excitement of Dana's enthusiasm, and Kate's friendly but intense conversation, left Max feeling a touch weary and drained. An overpowering desire to simply flop down on the bed, in the safety of her room, and spend the remainder of the day shunning the outside world consumed her thoughts. Fortunately, Chloe had today off, so there was no need suffer a lengthy bus ride. Max paced idly to and fro in Blackwell's front courtyard, eagerly awaiting her chauffeur's arrival.

After "saving up" from her job, Chloe was finally able to bust her truck out of impound up in Seattle. The conversation with Joyce and David on this had been tense--Chloe sold them on the new car on the lie that she had pawned off the truck and did some gig work up in Seattle to pay for the remainder. When she and Max disappeared for a road trip and came back in the truck, David was instantly suspicious. He didn't like being lead on about things. But the girls had the whole car trip to plan out their excuse. That they had contacted the buyer, and had worked out a deal to purchase back the truck. They explained that Chloe sold the Honda on their trip in Seattle (this much was true) and paid whatever remained with her savings (also _technically_ true).

David eventually had to chalk it up to his step-daughter being frivolous, though he never really seemed to whole heatedly believe the explanation. But when Chloe and Max stuck to their story after intense and repeated questioning, he was forced to resign the topic. Joyce had to step in, telling David to let it go. The price was worth it though. Chloe was happy beyond imagining to get her old clunker back. "I'd rather push this thing than drive that Honda another day," she had said, when they first sat back down in the cabin.

To pass the time, Max took in her surroundings. It was slightly overcast, with faint gusts of wind sweeping fallen leaves to and fro. The trees had started to turn color, gaining a tint of orange and red, heralding the approach of October and the fall season. Max had always fancied this the most beautiful time of year.

_Should get Chloe to take me out to the light house. Get some animal portraits against these seasonal colors._

With a yawn, Max shuffled around in her messenger bag, looking for her phone. Over the course of the day she'd added a number of new faces to her address book.

_Let's see. Right, that's Brooke. She's Ms. Super Nerd. I'll bet her and Warren would go together like peas in a pod. Hmm, and right, that's Juliet. She said something about being good friends with Dana. Courtney was a surprising one. I thought she hated me. Guess I'm "cool enough" now? I mean, she practically followed Victoria here from Seattle like a lost puppy._

It was only day two, but Max could already feel the difference in social status her new attitude appropriated. For the first time in her life, students she didn't even know were saying "hi" in the halls. Old enemies, like Courtney, appeared interested in mending burnt bridges. She wasn't quite sure how to handle it all. Fortunately, she had her rewind as a quick fix for any social _faux pas_. Which, given her overall ineptitude in this sphere of experience, she had fallen back on many times throughout the course of the day. Relying on the rewind brought with it an odd feeling--like she was being somewhat dishonest. She wasn't _really_ this clever, or quick on her feet, as she was making herself seem.

_But what real difference does it make? This power is a part of me, and like Chloe says, I should express myself. Be who I am. Even if that has to remain a secret between me and Chloe.  
_

Max continued to scroll through her phone's address book application, becoming oblivious to the world around her. Which was why she didn't even notice when the phone vanished from her hands, plucked with idle, noncaring grace by none other than Nathan Prescott. Before another second had passed, he chucked the phone to Jacob, who was standing nearby.

"Hey! Asshole!" Max started, and then stopped, considering that she could just "fix" this with her power. But, then again, why the hell would they steal her phone? Intrigued as to where this might be going, Max remained in place, and let the scene play itself out a little.

"Watch your tone, bitch," Nathan growled back at her, both hands dug into his pant's pockets. "We're just being pals--adding our numbers to your phone. Seems to be the popular thing to do these days."

Max narrowed her eyes, choosing instead to focus on Jacob. Unsurprisingly, it did not look like he was adding any records to her phone. Instead, he was scrolling. A lot. Like he was reading a long web page. Or scrolling through a history of messages.

_Oh shit. Is he reading my conversations with Chloe?_

As if to answer her own question, Jacob's eyes widened, but remained locked onto the screen. His mouth opened slightly, like he was going to say something, but then considered the better of it. He sighed, shook his head, and chucked the phone back at Max, who fumbled it in mid air. When she picked it up off the ground, it was on the home screen. He had taken an effort to hide whatever he was snooping at.

"We're done here," he told Nathan, and immediately turned his back to them both, walking towards the dormitories.

_Yes. Yes, you are._

Max executed a rewind, pulling time back to before she had brought the phone out of her bag.

_That was so weird. What did he see on my phone? If... if I was right, and he's here because of his father, then maybe he was--oh shit. That's right. Chloe and I have talked about the money over text! That, that confirms it! The bastard is here to spy on me!_

* * *

"And then he just up and swiped the phone from my hands!" Max explained to Chloe. They both sat in her truck, Chloe with an elbow rested lazily on the driver's side door, hand propping her head up, with the other hand on the wheel. Max couldn't help but take in the moment a little, with the lowering sun silhouetting Chloe's face as she began to respond.

"Seriously. Max. I will kick his ass."

"It's cool, Chloe. It didn't technically happen. But it was, in a way, valuable. I think the whole interaction pretty much proves Jacob is here to dig up dirt on us. I knew it was weird he enrolled at Blackwell!"

Chloe let out a small "pfft" noise, taking her eyes of Max to focus on the road again. "Kid's playing a dangerous game, going up against us. Our opponents have a tendency to gain some serious surface area."

"We're not squishing Jacob, Chloe," Max playfully chastened.

"I mean, I could run him over with the truck," Chloe gestured excitedly. "Just once! You can take it back."

"Chloe!"

"Fine, fine. No super fun happy murder-times," Chloe mock-sighed, waving a hand flippantly in the air. "The world really lucked out, you know, with you getting these powers. Imagine what would happen if a psychopath got them. Or... someone like me!"

"Very funny, Chloe."

"Speaking of which, we hella need to prank David again soon."

Max smiled inwardly at Chloe's use of the name "David." It had been a long, slow battle, but Chloe _finally_ seemed to be warming up to the man. Max understood why they "ground each other's gears" so much--they were polar opposites in almost every respect. He was orderly, she was a born rebel. He craved respect, she lived to irritate. They were truly oil and water. But, that didn't intrinsically mean they couldn't get along. And Max had found herself a glue, a buffer, between the two. A fact Joyce practically reveled in. Repeatedly over the past year, Joyce had pulled Max aside, to thank her for tempering Chloe's behavior towards David. Initially Max was always bewildered--she hadn't thought she'd done anything specific. But slowly, Max came to understand. Her very presence made Chloe more at ease, and less likely to bark at David for any and every little infraction he might press. Max kept this her and Joyce's little secret. She didn't want to jinx it by stating it aloud to Chloe.

Max settled back into her seat in the truck, watching the small town life of Arcadia Bay pass by from her window. It felt so _good_ , being in a household with a family that had "normal" problems. Sure, money was tight. There were repairs that needed to be done, that neither Joyce nor David could afford to pay for. The paint job remained permanently in its half done state--something Max had been meaning to bring up for a while. Paint wasn't _that_ expensive, and it wasn't a super skilled job either. If David could handle that sports car of his, surely he could manage to work a paint brush.

"You know I'm always game," Max replied. "You got a new trick in mind?"

"Funny you should ask, Caulfield," Chloe snickered. "I've been watching these magic tricks on youtube. It's crazy what people can do with slight of hand, and probabilities."

"Card tricks? Really?" Max gave her girlfriend a narrowed, incredulous glance.

"Think about it, Max," Chloe persisted. "Most of these dorks spend a life time mastering even the simplest of tricks. You could lay them low with like, I dunno, fifteen minutes of prep."

"I assume you have something in mind, then?"

"Mind reader," she stated, confidence filling her voice.

"Come again?" Max asked.

"Dude, it's so simple. You fan out a deck of cards, face down, on the table. He picks one, looks at it, and you tell him what it is."

_Hmm. Right. I could just cheat the first time around. Take a look at it, then rewind, and he'll go for the same one again. Poor Miss Grant. She'd be so disappointed to learn that the universe doesn't seem to be as random as quantum theory predicts..._

The day's lecture had been on how particle physics predicted a truly random universe. How, if events were to repeat themselves, a fundamentally unpredictable outcome would be the result. Max knew, from intimate experience, this wasn't quite true. When she rewound, people tended to behave just the same, unless she intervened. So Chloe was right. This power _could_ be used to perform seemingly "impossible" mentalist magic tricks. People would always pick, or even think, of the same card. Unlike those in the trade, Max could actually _know_ what people were going to pick.

"So, should I pick out a costume first, or what?"

Max had meant it as a flippant joke, but Chloe let out a small gasp, as if she hadn't considered the idea before. "Dude! I can see it now. Max Bunnyfield. Your leotard would have sparkles, and those floppy ears--"

"Okay, I'm stopping you right there. Maybe in the bedroom. No way on camera!"

Chloe's eyes widened. "Seriously, though? Thank god we have all that Landhauser money..."

Max fake-groaned at the implication. Inwardly, her heart quickened at the thought. She had always found herself immediately partial to anything that got Chloe excited--in _that_ way. Chloe sighed as she parked the truck outside their house, giving Max a yearning glance.

_Right. We haven't even talked about today's real insanity._

"So," Max began, stepping out of the vehicle. "Speaking of _stages_ , that girl I told you about, Dana, whisked me away today. Had me audition for a part in the school play."

Chloe's eyes widened as they walked up to the front door. "You auditioned for a _play?_ "

"I bombed it, first couple times," she admitted. "But eventually the director offered me the part!"

Chloe practically _squealed_ , wrapping Max up in a bear hug just outside the front door, lifting her slightly off her feet, and drawing her into a full, deep kiss. When their lips parted, she stated "I _told_ you that you could own the world, Max."

"I didn't formally, accept, yet," Max cautioned, still flustered by Chloe's exuberance. "Said I'd need to make sure I would have time, and all."

Chloe set Max down, bringing a hammered fist down lightly on top of her head. "You little liar. _If you have time?_ Don't make me laugh."

"Har, har, Chloe. Seriously though, I'm mad starving. Let's continue this after noms?"

"Way ahead of you, Caulfield," Chloe said, while opening the door. The savory smell of beef stroganoff emanating through the open entryway filled the air, lighting both their taste buds on fire. It pulled them both through like moths to a flame.

* * *

"I don't know Max, I'm still baffled by your last trick," David maintained, after dinner had finished, and the table was cleared. All parties present had consumed at least two portions of Joyce's delicious cooking. David even had to unbuckle his belt to make enough room.

"Dude, be cool," Chloe insisted. "Max totally worked hard on this one."

_Right. If "spending a few minutes mulling out the the details over dinner" counts as working hard, then I suppose that's true._

When David gave a grunting assent, Chloe launched from the table, and grabbed a deck of cards that had taken up an almost permanent residence on the nearby bookshelf. With a small bow, she held out the package to Max, placed on palm of her hand. Feeling suddenly self conscious, Max grabbed the pack, and awkwardly poured out the cards onto the table. They scattered about the surface, one or two finding their way to the floor. Chloe laughed, shaking her head, and returned them to the table.

_I guess my act could use a bit of finesse._

"Alright, David," Max recovered, using her best showmanship voice. "I'm going to need you to shuffle this deck."

David raised an eyebrow while he collected the cards. With a confident motion, he shuffled the cards effortlessly, so fast that Max had to blink. It was clear that the man had some experience with a deck of cards.

_Wowsers, he's pretty good at that. They teach you how to play cards in boot camp, or something?_

After the fourth shuffle, David settled the deck in a neat stack between the two of them on the table. "Okay Max. But be warned, I've got my eye on you this time. No funny tricks."

Max made a "cross the heart motion" with her hand, and gave David his instructions.

"David, I'm going to predict every card you raise from the top of that deck."

David raised another eyebrow, eyeing the stack of cards carefully. "That would actually be most impressive, Max. But even the best magicians maintain control of the deck. Which you haven't."

"Two of hearts," Max said confidently. David raised the first card on deck. It was a nine of clubs.

"Nice try Ma-"

Rewind.

"Nine of clubs," she stated, confidently, with a finger raised to her temple.

When David lifted the card, his eyes widened. "How on earth... Very impressive. But let's see if you can handle _this_."

David cut the deck, settling the randomized bottom half as the new top, thinking he had most definitely bested his opponent. And so things went, for the next couple of draws. Max even started to put a bit of showmanship into it, asking David to pause for a moment, for her to envision the next card in the deck with her psychic "third eye." After the fifth draw, David seemed convinced of her otherworldly abilities.

"Okay, Max," David relented. "Color me impressed. I honestly have no idea how you're doing this."

"Doing what?" Joyce asked, returning to the room, wiping her hands dry with a kitchen towel.

"Young Max here has apparently become quite the magician," David acknowledged.

They continued a few more rounds to convince Joyce.

"I do swear, Max," Joyce proclaimed. "I don't know where you find the time to learn these things. This is simply baffling."

_Okay. Might be time to reel this in. Don't want to get paranormal investigators in on this, or anything._

David scratched his head, looking slightly frustrated. "I just don't get it. I even re-shuffled the deck, multiple times. There's no way you should be able to do what you're doing."

Max rose from the table, and gave her audience a small bow. Chloe had spent the time leaned against the bookshelf, snickering at David and Joyce's bewildered expressions.

"Chloe, you must know what's up, right?" Joyce asked. "Are you in on this? Somehow giving Max a tell?"

"Come on, Max," Chloe said dismissively, "I think you've blown their minds enough for one evening."

"So you _do_ know something," David huffed.

* * *

Alone in their room once more, Max took up position at the desk to start on some homework, while Chloe lay on the bed, eyes focused on her phone. Max closed her eyes for a moment, silently considering just _how much_ she loved moments like these. Where it was just her and Chloe, hanging out, without a care in the world. It made her feel like a kid again, where she would be focused on some photography book, while Chloe read manga on the bed.

_Whatever happened to the manga obsession, anyway? Guess she grew out of it?_

"You _have_ to agree to do the play, Max," Chloe started suddenly, pulling Max's attention away from her reminiscing thoughts.

"I've never acted in anything," she complained. "It's ridiculous."

"Ridiculously _awesome,_ " Chloe corrected. "Listen, you'll be fine. And I'll be there, every step of the way."

Max sighed. As expected, Chloe was pretty gung-ho about her taking part in the play. Although the positives still held their appeal, there would be costs. It would be extra hours spent away from home. And she would actually have to memorize all those lines! Granted, she could correct a mistake on the spot, but there was no getting around the fact that she was going to have to practice.

_I don't think I've ever committed anything as long as a play to memory. Can I even do it? Come to think of it, I don't even know what this play is about! But, Chloe seems to have her heart set on it..._

"Fine, fine," Max relented. "I'll officially accept tomorrow."

Chloe rose from the bed, and scuffled Max's hair. "You're going to be great, Max. And everyone is going to see how incredibly fucking awesome you are." She leaned down, giving Max a kiss right on the top of her head. "So," she continued, "when are we going to do this movie-night gig with your Blackwell crew?"

Still feeling a slightly blush from Chloe's comments, Max flustered for a moment before responding, "I'll text Warren about it, see what's up. We should also try to get Brooke in on this too--it's cool to play match maker, right?"

"That would be context dependent, Max. But hell yeah, the more the merrier."

Max grabbed her phone from the desk and bit her lip as she found Warren's name in the address book.

 **Max:** Warren! So when are we going to do this movie night thing?

 _Moments_ later, her phone buzzed.

"Damn, someone's quick on the draw," Chloe observed.

 **Warren:** Anytime! What're you up to tonight?

"He's asking if we want to do it tonight," Max said, an edge of concern creeping into her voice.

Chloe laughed. "Of course he does. Well, fuck it, I got no plans. You?"

"Well, technically none of this is due tomorrow," Max admitted, looking over her papers and books spread across the desk. "But I'm pretty drained, Chloe. Not everyone got to spend half the day napping." Chloe replied with a sheepish look. "I'd probably just pass out half way through the first flick. And I'd rather do it on a Friday. Besides, that way we can get more people in on it."

Chloe waved a hand in the air. "Sure, sure. Whatevs, it's all good. Friday it is then!"

Max nodded, and returned to her phone.

 **Max:** Didn't sleep well last night. Was planning on crashing early today. Friday work?"

A scant second passed before Warren sent a reply.

 **Warren:** Friday it is! That's cool, it'll give me some time put together a educational roster of movies

 **Max:** it cool if I invite a few more peeps?

A few seconds passed by before a response, this time.

 **Warren:** Of course! We'll be watching on my computer monitor though, and seating's a bit limited.

 **Max:** No worries. We'll bring cushions ^^.

 **Warren:** Awesome-possum. Look forward to it!

"Alright then," Max said, "Friday night it is. This'll be great, Chloe. I can introduce you to everyone. I already know they're going to love you."

"Even this Kate girl?" Chloe asked. "You are aware that I can come off as a bit abrasive, right?"

"Kate's cool. Yeah, she has her beliefs, but she seems content not to impose them on anyone, and not get offended by other people's choices. She actually asked a lot about you during our tea time session today."

"So that's why I kept sneezing at around noon..." Chloe pondered, jokingly.


	5. Horror Night

" _Maxine Caulfield!_ "

Max cursed under her breath. She felt that all too familiar desire to slink into the woodwork--to fade from view--come to a boil in the back of her mind. Taking a moment to collect herself, and remember that she has _no reason_ to feel that way, she re-shouldered her messenger bag, turning slowly to face the furious woman marching towards her. She already knew who it was from the voice alone. Victoria was storming down the school's hallway, face twisted with rage. Max slammed her locker shut, and braced herself. Victoria looked positively beside herself with fury.

 _Wowsers, what now? I don't think I've_ ever _seen Victoria_ this _angry._

With laser focus, Victoria drove towards Max with an imposing, almost stalking gait. Her face had taken on a reddish tint, and her eye was twitching. It looked moments away from bursting a blood vessel.

"I don't know what the hell has gotten into you, _Maxine_ ," Victoria growled, pressing a finger into Max's chest, and forcing her to take a step backward. "And... I'll admit. Maybe there's more going on with your situation than I was originally aware. But this is over the line. How _dare_ you! And don't even _try_ to tell me you didn't know!"

_Know what? Seriously, what the hell did I do? And, was that an olive branch? It's kinda good to hear her say that. Maybe there's hope for us after all? I mean, she's been incredibly shitty to me in the past. But she's also just been a pawn. A tool for the Landhauser boys..._

Gathering her composure, Max took a step forward, letting Victoria's finger press a bit further. It was Victoria's turn to take a step back. When she did, a look of worry flickered over her face.

"Victoria," Max said evenly, "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about. What, exactly, did I do?"

Victoria withdrew her hand, folding both arms across her chest, and entered into a slight slouch. She _hmphed_ , as if Max was being coy--just leading her on.

"As I am _sure_ you're aware," Victoria intoned, "I was just told by Mr. Keaton that I would no longer be performing as Mara in the play. That he had given the part to an inexperienced _upstart_ named Max."

A sinking feeling of guilt hit Max in the stomach. Mara had been the name of the character she had recited lines for yesterday, when Dana sequestered her for the impromptu audition. And she had gone and accepted the role, first thing this morning. Did she actually steal a part from Victoria? Dana's somewhat odd request after the audition suddenly sprung to mind: Dana had asked to keep her part in this a secret.

 _What was Dana's real goal, anyway? I did promise, so I can't just up and tell Victoria that Dana forced me to audition. Though. I guess I could bend the rules a_ little _._

"Victoria, I swear, I didn't know. Dana just pulled me into the room and forced me to try out," Max felt a bit dirty as the words left her mouth. She was technically breaking a promise. Though, not permanently. "And things just snowballed from there."

Victoria's eyes widened, and her posture slackened. After raising a hand to her temple, she closed her eyes and exclaimed, "That... _bitch!_ I fucking _knew_ it! Why the hell did Nathan let that fancy slut into the Vortex club..."

Max opened her mouth to say more, but Victoria had already turned, muttering to herself, brisking away with purpose.

_Oookay. Better take that one back. Intriguing, though. Dana's playing spy games against Victoria? Something mysterious is up with the students of Blackwell Academy...  
_

Max rewound, just to the point before she had admitted the truth about what really happened. This time, she took a different path. One that kept her promise to Dana. Max wasn't sure what was going on, completely, but she liked Dana more than she did Victoria, and felt honor bound to keep her promise. Plus, it felt pretty good being in Dana's graces. The girl had an _air_ about her.

"Victoria, I swear I didn't know," Max asserted, honesty filling her voice. It was true, she really didn't. "I just saw that the school was auditioning for a play, and when he saw me, Mr. Keaton had me try for this role. He didn't say anything about the part already being given."

Victoria's eyes narrowed, and she shifted her stance, apparently unsure of Max's sincerity. "This is _war_ , Caulfield. I'm still back-up, you know. If anything happens, or you can't hack it, the part is mine."

Max rolled her eyes, pushing forward, and forcing Victoria to make a quick side-step out of the way.

"Well thank god for that, Victoria," Max answered. "We'll all sleep much better at night, knowing you're there to pick up the slack."

Victoria let out a small "gasp," informing Max she had swung and hit. It was impossible not to smile a little. After so many years of taking shit from people, it felt _so good_ to be able to deliver just a little bit back.

* * *

Max threw her bag onto the reinforced granite counter of the chemistry room. Apparently the surface was graded for concentrated hydrochloric acid spills, or something. With a small _thud_ , she landed into her seat, letting out a breath, and hoped the remaining few moments before class start would transpire in peace. In the ensuing minutes after her confrontation with Victoria, Max had managed to get her heart rate back down, but it still frustrated her. That, even with all this power, she was still so easily pushed off balance by an angry accusation from one of her classmates.

"Feeling okay there, Maxwell?"

It was a nickname Warren had taken to calling her. She didn't mind, it was kind of cute.

"Hi, Warren. And yeah. Just had another Encounter of a Victoria-Kind."

"Aaah," Warren nodded, appreciating the reference. "Is she still bothering you? I'd be happy to talk with her, let her know this isn't cool-"

Max giggled. "It's fine, Warren," she interrupted. "Really. I got it under control. Thanks, though. I appreciate it."

Warren _beamed,_ looking even happier than he did after their introduction on Blackwell's steps only two days ago.

_Maybe Chloe and Kate are onto something here. I don't think I've given him the wrong idea or anything, but you never know. But, how could I have made it more clear, initially? It just feels weird repeating it now..._

"So I've been assembling a master list of must see cinema for Friday. It's gonna be great, Max. If you could take a look, though? Let me know what you've already seen."

Max nodded, eager for something to take her mind off Victoria and her drama. Her eyes widened--there were at least thirty movies on Warren's phone screen that he held out in front of her.

"Wow, okay, hmm," Max considered. "Yeah, I mean, I'm pretty sure Chloe and I haven't seen the top five, so that should keep us busy, right?"

"You're--you haven't seen _Re-Animator_ _?_ Oh, ho ho ho, man, this is going to be kick ass."

Max inwardly considered what Kate might think of these movie choices. From their names alone, she could tell many of them were B-grade horror schlock.

 _Which is fine by me. And I know Chloe eats that stuff up. But will Kate be okay with it? Something tells me she's the type that would think_ Poltergeist _is a "scary movie."_

"So you got room for five? It'll be me, Chloe, Kate, and hopefully Brooke."

Warren looked a little bewildered for a moment. There were a lot of female names in that sentence. "Uh, yeah! No pro-blemo, Max. I got this." He smiled, giving her a confident thumbs up.

_I know it's not my place, or anything, but he and Brooke would make a mad cute couple. Like, they could graduate, get hitched, and become super scientists that take over the world, or something._

"So, Max," Warren started, looking a little uncomfortable. "This whole thing with Victoria, and her buddies. Why do they have it out for you so much, anyway?"

Max had wondered when this question would come. It had been in the air before, unspoken, Warren clearly wanting to play it cool. But apparently his curiosity had gotten the better of him. How to even answer though? It wasn't as if she could just dive in, and explain all the bullying and abuse that tarnished her life in Seattle. How could she reconcile the two Maxes? She'd already presented herself to Warren--and the student body at large--as someone cool, calm, and in control. Victoria and Jacob might know her "secret," but it didn't seem to do them much good. As far as Max could tell, she was actually _winning_ the popularity contest, such that there was any.

"Victoria and I went to the same school, up in Seattle. We have... history, I guess."

Warren nodded, hanging on her every word. "Max, the other day. What did that Jacob kid mean, that you might wind up like Anderson Berry? Who the hell is that, anyway?"

_Crap, that's right. I'm surprised Jacob even mentioned that. Guess it's not his dad that did the deed, so he's a little more comfortable flinging mud about it._

"An ex-arcadia bay police officer," Max explained. "He got let go, about a year ago, for helping me. Against Prescott wishes. And Jacob was just being a dumbass, trying to scare me."

Warren's eyes widened, and he nodded, eager for her to continue.

"Look, Warren," Max started, suddenly a bit unsure of how to continue. "There's some stuff in my past that isn't... so great. That's related to Jacob, Nathan, Victoria, and all. I was hoping to move past it, by living here, and attending Blackwell."

"Max, honestly," Warren replied, looking suddenly serious. "It's cool if you don't want to go into details. But whatever it was? It Doesn't matter now. You're _popular_ here. I even overheard some kids talking about you on the way to class. So you should live it up! Just, enjoy yourself, you know?"

Warren had a point. Just this morning Max had to turn down a random request to go out on a _date_. She almost had to rewind the conversation, in order to cover her shock at the sudden request. It was from a boy she didn't even know--kid just walked up and started talking. He seemed to already know her name, even.

 _Maybe there_ is _such a thing as being too popular. I know Chloe said I should make a presence here, but I'm feeling like I might've done too good a job!_

* * *

Next class offered an opportunity for more investigation about the Landhauser situation. The class included Jacob, but not Victoria or Nathan, and so provided a solid chance to do some one on one interrogation. His antics with her phone yesterday had to be a part of something larger, she was sure. And she was going to figure out what was up.

_Why else would he steal my phone like that? There's something rotten going on here, and Jacob is going to give me the inside scoop. Whether he wants to or not._

They still had a few minutes until the bell rang, and Jacob sat alone, attention absorbed in a text book. He hadn't even noticed Max walk into the classroom.

"Jacob," Max started, putting a palm on the face of his desk. "Let's talk."

Jacob's body posture tightened for a moment, but his focus remained pointed downward. After a few seconds had passed, and Max didn't move, he raised his head, and gave Max an impassioned stare.

"You're in my light," was all he said.

_Finally. Now, might as well start out swinging..._

Max took in a breath, and with her most confident voice, began her assault. "I know your dad sent you here to spy on me, Jacob."

Nothing. Jacob leaned back in his chair a little, crossing his arms. "Wish I knew what the hell you were talking about," he answered, looking bored. "Sounds more interesting than this physics chapter."

_Of course. Try harder, Max! There's gotta be something I can say that'll throw him._

"If I just give you the fifty grand, will you get out of here? Leave me and Chloe alone?"

Jacob's eye twitched at hearing the words "fifty grand."

_Gotcha. Now, to reel 'im in..._

"I mean, we've spent some of it," Max continued, "but I'm sure Eric would be forgiving, considering what he put us through."

Jacob's face grew dark, a frown forming as his eyebrows creased together. But instead of answering, he took out his phone, and rapidly typed a text message. It was sent before Max could blink, and he shuffled the phone away as quickly as it had come appeared.

"Max," he replied, "I know you're great at spinning tales, but you need to learn to leave my family the fuck _alone-"_

Max rewound, edging time back to just before he pocketed his phone.

_I've got to see what was on that screen! Who was he texting? And why? He didn't skip a beat after hearing I had the money._

Releasing her power, Max swiped at the phone in Jacob's hand with a dexterity she didn't know she possessed. She wasted no time looking at the screen: it was a text, being sent to his father, Eric.

 **Jacob** **:** you were right

A chill crept down her spine, so much so that she very nearly didn't have the presence of mind to handle an incredibly irate Jacob, lurching from his seat. In a flash, he snapped the phone out from her stunned hands. It was shocking to see the boy display so much emotion, in such a short span of time.

" _Bitch!,_ " he cursed. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Screwing with my dad wasn't enough? You may have everyone else here fooled, but I _know_ you Maxine Caulfield. You're-"

Max calmly pondered what she had learned while rewinding the past few seconds.

_So, I was right. Eric's tied up with legal battles in Seattle, so he sent his son to keep tabs on us. And figure out if we actually do have the money. Ugh. I knew that cash was going to be more trouble than it was worth. I wonder if there's any chance we could just give it back? I want this bullshit drama to be over with. But, we have spent a sizable chunk of it. No doubt he'd want reimbursement. With interest, probably. And Eric doesn't really seem like the forgive and forget type. No, it's best he never learns of it. And that means keeping Jacob here at bay.  
_

"You're in my light," Jacob repeated, as Max let go of her power.

Satisfied with what she had learned, Max smiled, stepping to the side. "Just wanted to check in on how you're adjusting, Jacob. Moving new places is always difficult."

Jacob grunted, but kept his attention glued to his reading. Max raised her hand off the desk, and took a step away, content with what she had accomplished. Her work here was done.

_What now, though? He's already tried once for my phone, even if he doesn't remember it. What will he do, if weeks go by, and he keeps reporting empty handed to his dad? I can rewind any damage he does, but what if he does something completely unexpected?_

* * *

Max gulped, a feeling a little hesitant at the situation in front of her. Friday night had finally rolled around, and that meant movie night had come at last. It also meant introducing Chloe to her new friends at Blackwell. To her amazement, everyone she invited agreed to come. Brooke, in particular, jumped at the invite. That brought their party to a total of five: her, Chloe, Warren, Brooke, and Kate. The last name still worried Max a little. Kate seemed eager to prove she wasn't a delicate flower or anything, but still. Max could tell this wasn't exactly her crowd. At least she was able to talk Chloe down from being any alcohol. They sat in Chloe's truck, which she had just parked in the school's lot.

"Hey, chin up," Chloe encouraged. "I promise I won't embarrass you _too_ much. Even if I have to spend the night sober."

Max rolled her eyes, giving her driver a playful shove. "Careful what you promise, Chloe."

"Well, come on then," Chloe blustered, pushing back. "Let's meet your Blackwell crew!"

Max wore a wary smile as they stepped out of the truck. First stop was to collect the attendees, who would meet them in the girl's dorm. As they passed the gate, Chloe stopped to look at the dedication plaque.

"Prescott Dormitories? Fucking gross. I'm glad you passed that one up, Max."

"You and me both. Creeper probably has hidden cameras or something."

It being a Friday night, most of the dorm's population seemed to be off partying elsewhere. Max and Chloe walked down the lonesome, quiet hall, coming to a stop when they reached Kate's door. Her whiteboard pictured a cute picture of a bunny rabbit playing a violin.

"So, were you actually serious on keeping the dee-eell on the gay?" Chloe questioned before Max had a chance to knock. This would be one of the first times Max had introduced her partner to a friend of _hers_ , and Max found it to be a slightly perplexing situation. The whole night was going to be a bit weird, she figured.

_I mean, I know I've mentioned my "girlfriend" multiple times to kids over the week. But then that one dude just up and asked me out. Then again, I don't really say much about her. Just that I spent most of my time not at school with Chloe. Well, hopefully we can put any confusion to rest tonight._

"I honestly don't really know how she'll react," Max answered. "She says she's cool with it. So let's give her the benefit of the doubt."

"It's your evening," Chloe shrugged with a smile, while settling into a lean against the wall.

Max rapped lightly on the door. Almost immediately, they heard a faint "coming!" from within. When Kate answered the door, Chloe raised a slight eyebrow. She was dressed in her standard apparel. Which was about the polar opposite of Chloe's.

"Hi Max! I'm just finishing up. And, thank you again for the invite. I've never done a movie night with classmates before." Kate stopped, noticing Chloe eyeing her for the first time. "Oh, h-hi! Hi, I'm Kate. You... must be Chloe?"

"The one and only," Chloe remarked, giving the wall a slight shove with her shoulder to bounce back onto her two feet. She extended a hand, which Kate took.

"It's really great, finally meeting in person," Kate said. "Max talks so much about you!"

Chloe's lips curled into a small smile, and answered, "Oh yeah? Does she talk about what we do in the shower-ow!"

Max attempted damage control as Chloe rubbed her side, giving Max a pouting look for the elbow-jab. Kate just looked a little flustered.

"Don't mind her," Max laughed nervously, "she practically revels in making people uncomfortable."

Kate straightened her back a bit, eyeing both Max and Chloe. "Well, shall we? Apparently we have several movies to watch. And I haven't heard of any of them!"

Chloe's mouth fell open just slightly as they walked towards Brooke's door. "Get out. You seriously haven't heard of _Dawn of the Dead_?"

* * *

Their party collected, pillows, cushions and snacks in hand, the girls made their way towards the boy's dorms. Apparently the male population had the same "Friday night out" idea--the whole floor seemed practically dead. A small blessing, Max considered.

_Yeah, maybe we should've done this in Kate's or Brooke's room? Didn't really think of the optics here. And I seriously don't want to run into Nathan or Jacob._

The group made its way towards the only door with light shining out from underneath it, and gave it a knock. Warren answered almost instantly, and tried hard to mask his quick look of shock at the faces assembled at his door.

"Max! You made it! And, uh, hi, everyone!" Warren backed up, allowing his guests room to enter. His dorm was about as Max envisioned it: posters for niche movies lined the walls, his laptop computer running what looked like an MMORPG, and little else in the way of decoration. The lack of clothes and clutter clearly showed he had bothered to clean up.

_Good boy. Biscuit!_

"So, uh, you're the dude who's been macing on my girl, huh?" Chloe blurted, in what Max instantly understood to be a rather awkward attempt at breaking the ice.

Nevertheless Max's eyes shot wide open, and gave Chloe a " _the hell was that?_ " glance. Chloe returned a sheepish grin, nervously raising a hand behind her head. Warren grew a little flush, clearly a bit embarrassed.

"Warren's been a good  _friend_ over the past couple of days, Chloe," Max mediated, pulling her girlfriend towards the bed by her arm. She laid a large pillow on the floor at the base of the frame, and forced Chloe, who was still giggling, to sit down. She promptly wormed her way into Chloe's lap, earning a raised eyebrow from Brooke, who seemed to be studying the whole exchange with intense interest. Kate and Brooke took Max's action as their cue to find spots. Max had already spoken privately to Kate about this: leave two seats on the bed for Warren and Brooke. Max was curious to see where that might lead.

Max took in more of the room around her as she and Chloe waited for everyone to get comfy. Kate confidently took Warren's computer chair, leaving only the bed as a reasonable remaining seating choice. Brooke grinned a little, accepting Warren's gentlemanly offer of a seat on the mattress. He took a seat next to her, leaving a bit of space between them. As this happened, Max noticed Warren had a 30 inch flat screen TV set up, complete with long HDMI cable stretching to his laptop.

 _Of course. Who_ buys _movies these days anymore?_

Without further ado, Warren started the first film,  _Re-Animator._ Throughout the showing, Max couldn't help but steal side glances at Kate, whose face seemed stuck in a mode between shock, horror, and bewilderment.

"That was, well. It sure wasn't VeggieTales," Kate remarked as the credits began to roll.

"Veggie-what?" Chloe asked.

"They're these weird Christian cartoons," Brooke explained. "They made us watch them too."

"You're religious?" Max asked, surprised. Max didn't know Brooke too well yet, but she didn't strike her as a believer.

"Not so much," Brooke laughed, shaking her head. "My parents though, yeah. Though I think they're in it mostly for the community."

"It's an important draw," Kate mused. "For a lot of people, Church is their primary way of feeling like they're part of something bigger."

"Mmm," Chloe yawned, drawing Max further into her clutches, and resting her head in the crook of Max's neck. "Sounds like work. Poor saps should just find themselves a Max."

Max squirmed a little in Chloe's embrace. "I'm not a commodity, Chloe."

"You two are embarrassingly cute," Brooke observed. Both she and Warren had sat cross legged on the bed, leaning their backs against the wall. But they had kept a friendly distance. Max could see it though. Not that she had anything remotely close to experience as a match maker, but she could swear there might be something between those two.

_At least, I'm pretty sure I've caught Brooke stealing a couple of glances at Warren. Hope it's not, like, one sided, or anything._

* * *

_Five minutes, eighteen seconds. Shit. Why--why is this happening?  
_

After a drowsy ride home, Max was determined not to end the day without testing her power again. The missing seconds from her rewind had honestly slipped her mind--there were so many other things to steal her concern. The movie night, homework, the Jacob situation, her vision from a few nights ago, and, perhaps most of all, performing in a play! Max's stomach turned a bit at the thought. Rehearsals were set to begin next week.

Max lowered her hand, and stole a glance at Chloe, who had passed out face down on the bed.

_God, I know I need to say something to Chloe about this. But, what, exactly? And... only a few a few seconds have disappeared. It's not as if I'm losing minutes a day, or anything. And I super don't want to spoil today. It was so great that Chloe got along with everyone. Everything is... finally okay._

"That's right, Maxine. Everything is going to be okay."

Max nearly _screamed,_ her body jerking involuntarily, so hard that she pushed the chair out from under her, and landed butt first on the floor. It was _his_ voice. Calvin. Like he was standing _right next_ to her, whispering the words into her ear.

"Max?" Chloe was awake, face full of of worry, already scrambling off the bed to approach Max's position on the floor.

"I--I... I heard... something."

Chloe looked around the room, returning her attention to Max with a hesitant shrug. "Just us, Max. You... you sure you didn't fall asleep? Have a nightmare?"

"Positive, Chloe." Max swallowed, trying to get her heart rate under control. It felt like her chest was going to burst. She pressed both her temples with the palms of her hands, curling her legs up to her chest.

"Hey, whoa, Max, come on," Chloe edged in, wrapping an arm around her, trying to lift them both onto the bed.

"It was him," she whispered, the words barely audible.

"Say what?" Chloe asked as she set them both down onto the mattress. She slid them into their natural sleeping position, holding Max tightly.

"The voice I heard. It was Calvin."


	6. Ominous Numbers

A long, foreboding silence stretched in the wake of Max's words. Chloe's arms, while still taught, became stiff, and Max could feel the rhythmic movements of her partner's chest come to a still. The moment passed. Chloe tightened her grip, sealing the distance between them, curling Max into a tight fetal position. Without words, Chloe threw the blankets over them, covering their heads, creating a shield of fabric between them and the outside world.

"That's not... possible. Right?" Chloe's began.

"Chloe..." Max ventured, "rewinding time isn't possible." Max took a moment to squiggle a little, letting Chloe's arm rest more comfortably against her side. Chloe responded with pressing her head against her cheek, and wrapping her fingers around her waist.

"The fucker's _dead_ though," Chloe asserted. "Max, we both saw it. How could you hear him, now?"

"Up to this point, it's just been memories," Max mused. "But Chloe... it was like he was reading my thoughts. What he said, it made sense, given the context. God, like, what if he's _in_ me? In my head? What if-"

"Max, god, stop," Chloe interrupted. "That's crazy, and you know it. Okay. So you heard his voice. Were you using your powers?"

"No. Though, I was about to. I was going to do a max time test."

"Really?" Chloe said with a bit of surprise. "I thought you stopped doing those months ago."

And that was it. Max closed her eyes, feeling uncomfortable at how she'd kept the fact from Chloe. Time to face the music.

"Chloe, a few days ago, I tested it. And... I lost a few seconds. My maximum rewind time is shorter now..."

Another silence lingered, for a long few moments. Max could tell Chloe was trying hard to come up with a counter, something positive, or even dismissive, of the revelation.

"Dude, it's cool. I made your stop watch configurable, so I just need to tweak a few settings. It'll be fine."

Surprising herself, Max let out a small laugh. _That_ was what she went with?

_She's just trying to make me feel better. And, sheesh. I guess it worked. It is pretty cool that she can just update the stop watch, too._

"Chloe, what if it keeps going? What if I keep losing seconds? I haven't retested since then-"

Chloe cut Max off with a "sssh," sound, increasing her grip, and rocking Max slightly to and fro. "Max, and I'm being hella cereal here: it doesn't matter. Sure, we've had a blast with your rewind. It'd be great if it lasts forever. But, if it does go away? Fuck it. Who cares? Look, your mad powers are what brought us together again. And _that's_ what matters," Chloe nibbled a bit at Max's neck, causing her partner to stir restlessly in her arms.

"Max," Chloe continued, "you'll  _always_ be magic to me."

That was it--the final straw. Max forced her body around, and smashed her lips against Chloe's, squeezing them together with every ounce of strength she had. Chloe, surprised for a second, fell into the embrace, letting the emotions of the moment wash them both away.

* * *

The bone chilling, steady drone of the vision held Max in place, keeping her locked within the silent prison of her own mind, bearing witness to her past. Only, not. This time it was different. It was definitely a vision, but this wasn't any memory Max could recollect.

 _W-what_ is _this? I'm just sitting on my bed, looking at my desk? I mean, not that I've never done that before. But that weird clock is new. It most_ definitely _wasn't there when I lived in Seattle._

The clock was a digital readout, giving day, hours, minutes, and seconds. The current numbers were 23 days, eight hours, two minutes, nineteen seconds. She felt herself blink, and the second counter had decremented. It was a countdown, Max instantly realized. But to what?

_Every vision I've ever had was a memory of my past. How is this possible? I shouldn't be able to see something that was never there!_

Everything else in her room was as she remembered. The night stand, with its marble base lamp. The photo wall of Polaroids, complete with Christmas light decorations. It all brought back a strange sense of nostalgia. From a time when her dad was still alive. From when Calvin was just a strange relative that she saw on occasion. A picture of her and her father next to the mysterious clock caught her eye. It was one Max had stored away, unable to handle looking at it every day. She couldn't ever imagine being that happy, or innocent, ever again.

Seeing herself, with Ryan's arm over her shoulder, looking so blissful, made Max's stomach turn with that same, familiar hopelessness in the days after his passing. That nothing could _possibly_ ever be okay again. Her life had its last cornerstone violently removed, leaving her adrift without a course.

_Fuck, this is confusing. Is this a memory that I've just forgotten about? And my subconscious injecting new things into it? I hate feeling like this. It took forever not to feel like shit every day after dad died. But then Calvin showed up... and other concerns took priority. Have I really ever gotten over Dad's death? Or did I just table my grief, when Calvin appeared?_

The picture took a dive, driven off the table by an unseen force. It smashed into the ground, the glass splintering into shards across the carpet. When Max involuntarily raised her head again, she could see from the corner of her eye that the door was ajar, just slightly. And from the crack, she could see an eye, staring back at her. Five fingers began curling around the door frame. And there was no mistaking the faint outline of a large grin.

* * *

When morning came, it was with a shock. But not the startling kind. More, the revolutionary kind. Max _knew_ she had a vision while she slept. That horrible grin was still imprinted into the forefront of her mind. But every single other time she had a vision, she had woken violently from it. She also thrashed about as it progressed, which always woke Chloe. It was the first time she could remember where a vision had ended, _without_ Chloe there, looking worried as hell. Which means she had kept quiet during her vision, and entered back into a state of normal sleep when it concluded.

 _Super weird. Maybe it_ was _just a dream? It was radically different from the normal. Not that that's a bad thing, I guess..._

Max stretched, leaning up, and glanced at the clock on the nearby nightstand. Seven thirty. Looking to her side, she took in a sprawled Chloe, looking both radiantly beautiful and like a train wreck, all at the same time. Listlessly, Max flopped back down on the bed, nuzzling in close. In her typical way of waking-up-but-not-really, Chloe wrapped Max into a spoon, and let lose a long sigh.

_Yet another weird "magic max" thing to bring up. I hate this. Why can't we just have a normal life..._

"Chloe?" Max asked, hesitantly.

"Mmmpph, sleep, Max." Chloe mumbled in reply.

"I had another vision," Max began. Chloe's eyes instantly snapped open, and she brought herself upright, leaning on one elbow.

"It was different though," Max continued. "It wasn't any memory I can recollect. It had this strange clock, counting down." Max flopped back down on the bed, letting Chloe wrap an arm around her. "It was so weird, Chloe. I had no control, like normal. But I saw him, creeping on me, from my bedroom door. And that _clock_. It felt like each tick was a thud in my head."

Chloe bit her lip, clearly unsure of what to say. This was part of the reason Max never wanted to mention anything like this. What was the point? It would only worry her, and there was nothing she could do. Telling Chloe was borderline cruelty.

"We'll figure this out, Max," Chloe replied. "I promise."

* * *

Saturday rolled by without further disturbance; a blissful day spent chilling in Chloe's room, taking a walk on the beach, and doing a little shopping. Joyce had begun to rely on Chloe and Max a little to handle some of the day to day responsibilities of running the household. Neither girl minded--it was nice to have something to accomplish on an otherwise lackadaisical day.

On Sunday, however, Chloe had to work. Max took the opportunity to wrap up on some of her homework. Which always took less time, thanks to her rewind power.

_I'm such a cheat. No way I'd be able to study this much without rewinding. And if it really is disappearing... then I guess I'd better use it while it lasts!_

Max glanced at the clock, and realized that Chloe would be getting off work soon. She'd planned to surprise Chloe again by showing up at the store. Chloe always seemed to love it when Max's face was the first thing she saw after throwing off her smock at the end of a shift. Max had learned to love that grin of absolute wonderment, and the ensuing bear hug. It totally made the bus trip worth it.

Max packed her few things, including her camera, as always, and began the walk to the bus stop. The peaceful breeze, and Arcadia Bay's general tranquility, filled the air around her, giving a sense of general relaxation she knew no other town could provide. Amazingly, the bus showed up on time, and the trip passed uneventfully, as Max viewed the harmonious bustle of the goings from her vantage of the coach seat's window.

Arcadian General, the name of the grocery store at which Chloe was employed, stood in front of her.

_Time to play. It's always fun to bounce in, see what's up. Then rewind. Like an awkward, teenaged hipster ninja.  
_

Max confidently trudged through the automatic sliding doors, and took in the now-familiar store. It's intimate isles, one through twelve, stood arrayed in front of her. However, her blue-haired victim stood nowhere in sight. These days Chloe was almost always working one of the registers. Strange she wasn't there.

Max pondered through a few of the isles, pretending to be a real customer. Not that _she_ would purchase anything from the store. Not when Chloe had her employee discount. But an odd sense of concern brewed when Chloe was nowhere in sight, even after isle nine.

_Weird. Where is she? Bathroom break? No way. They schedule those. She should be somewhere, working..._

Lightening her heart, Max finally heard the tones of Chloe's voice. It must be from a few isles down. Like a bloodhound, Max worked her way towards the sound, hoping to surprise the individual at its end. But something felt wrong--the tone in Chloe's speech connoted concern. Max stopped when she was in listening distance, but still out of view.

"Lonny, come on! You know it's pure bullshit," Max overheard. Chloe was grumbling about something.

"I'm sorry, Chloe," a second voice answered. "Honestly, you're a great employee. But acting that way in front of a customer..."

"He hella deserved it! Lonny, I get the whole _the customer is always right_ shtick, but that doesn't mean we should let them walk all over us!"

Max peeked around the corner, getting a look at the confrontation. Lonny, a heavy seat middle aged man in his forties, and also the proud owner of this store, rubbed a hand across his forehead. "It's  _Mr. Sanderman_ , Chloe, as I have repeatedly reminded you. And it wasn't just any customer! You do know _I_ have to deal with the fallout from your outbursts, right?"

"Cry me a fucking river," Chloe dismissed, hunching back, and crossing her arms over her chest. Although she was faced the other way, Max had no doubt Chloe was rolling her eyes right now. "So you have to put up with a few shitty phone calls. Big whoop."

"It's not that _simple_ Chloe. And I've had enough of this attitude."

" _What_ attitude?! I thought you were better than this, Lonny. Good to know that you're really just some Prescott tool."

The manager's expression darkened, as if Chloe had said the exact wrong thing. "That's it. I'm done," he sighed, waving a hand. "Chloe, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to let you go."

"You're _firing_ me?"

"You brought this on yourself, Chloe-"

Max reached out into the air, and reversed the past few seconds.

_Like hell I'm letting Chloe get fired. Not that she's in love with this job or anything. But that was totally unfair! Time to work some Max-magic, and grease this situation a little..._

"-but that doesn't mean we should let them walk all over us!"

Max heard Chloe say the line again, and this time came out of hiding. She approached the two, Chloe standing at the end of the isle, facing away from her. The manager, Lonny, noticed Max immediately, but returned his attention to Chloe after only a moment.

"It's _Mr. Sanderman_ , Chloe..." Lonny continued his original line, and Max took the opportunity to sneak up to Chloe's side, bumping her head on Chloe's arm. Chloe jumped a little at the contact.

"Hey, watch it pal-Oh! Max!" Chloe's irritated expression evaporated, and she threw an arm over Max's neck, drilling a knuckle into the top of her skull.

"Hi Mr. Sanderman," Max greeted shyly. Max knew Lonny had a soft spot for her, and she planned on using that fact to its fullest. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

"Max, I, yes. Well, yes and no." Lonny rubbed his forehead, looking a little deflated. "Your wild girlfriend here just loves making my life hell, you know that?"

"We tried obedience training, but she kept trying to bite the instructor," Max joked.

Chloe's smile flattened into a deadpan expression. "I'm not a puppy, Max."

"You're right about that," Lonny replied. "Dogs can be trained." He gave the two girls a look, then shook his head, and disappeared into one of the store's back rooms. Chloe turned to face Max, a grin plastered wide on her face.

"Super Max, to the rescue. We seriously need to get you a cape, or something."

"You don't know the half of it," Max said, giving her partner a shoulder bump as they turned to leave. "He fired you, Chloe!"

"No shit?" Chloe questioned, an eyebrow raised in mock disbelief. "Wha'd I say?"

"You called him a Prescott tool. I don't think he liked that, Chloe."

Chloe removed her name badge and smock as they walked towards the store's exit. "Yeah, I guess I did have my suspicions on that account. The guy always stiffens a bit at the P-word. Figures I'd use it to try and annoy 'im."

"What was that all about, anyway?"

_I guess I already know it was Chloe being rude to a Prescott. But I need them details!_

"Nathan stopped by, picking up some beer with an _obviously_ fake ID. I gave him shit for it, he did his entitled asshole routine. Things escalated."

"He didn't attack you-"

"Nah, nothing like that," Chloe corrected, shaking her head. "Fucker was just _trying_ to get smacked up though. Smug little shit. But I was good; I held back my Logans."

They stepped into the parking lot, veering towards Chloe's truck, which was situated towards the back. "Probably for the best, Chloe. You just _know_ Nathan would've gotten his dad to sue the store if you assaulted him."

Chloe considered the thought while they stepped into the vehicle. "Yeah, I mean, Lonny's a dick, but I don't want him to lose his business or anything. It's practically all the poor sap has."

She twisted the keys in the ignition, and the truck roared to life. Max nodded in reply.

 _That was wild._ _Chloe almost lost her job! Over something so trivial._

Max paused her thoughts, giving Chloe a worried look.

 _What would've happened if I wasn't there? I guess, it's not so bad. Not as if Joyce is going to kick us out or anything. But... they would've been disappointed. The whole point of this was to get Chloe to become more responsible. But, do_ I _actually want that? I like my wild, insane Chloe. It's a good thing her classes at college are going well._

Chloe had actually aced every one of her last classes, and had taken on an additional set of credits this quarter. It didn't surprise Max in the slightest.

 _I mean, she was always the smarter of the two of us, all those years ago. I just wanted to hang out, screw around with photos or, art, or whatever. Just so long as I was with her, I didn't care. But I remember she actually spent a lot of time studying. And would actually give_ me _shit for getting B's and C's. I guess not much there has changed. Pretty sure that, despite my rewind cheating, I'm not going to ace all my classes at Blackwell.  
_

* * *

"So, be honest, how did I do?" Max asked, hesitant, not exactly sure what Dana would think of her first real attempt at acting.

Dana gave Max a long smile. "Didn't figure you a worry-wort, Max. You did great! And don't mind miss grump over there," she hinted, using her eyes to point at Victoria, who was pouting in the back of the room. As backup, Victoria's presence was still required at all rehearsals. Max's rival had spent most of the hour on her phone, glancing up occasionally when it was Max's turn to say a line.

_Always hoping to see me fail. The look on her face when I tripped over my lines... just, wowsers. I don't think I've ever seen her look so smug. Well, sorry Vic. I hope you enjoyed the moments, while they existed._

Although she _did_ spend some time studying her lines the previous night, being on stage, with all the other actors, was a rather nerve-wracking experience. Multiple times she had to reference the script, just to remember a line she _knew_ she had memorized. Fortunately, the rewind covered for all these errors.

_I wonder what else I'd kick ass at, if I applied my rewind?_

From everyone else's perspective, Max's first on-stage practice was cool, confident, and collected. She spoke her lines with emotion and confidence, drawing the attention of many observers in the room. When they had finished, Dana looked ecstatic.

_Still need to quiz Dana about what's going on with her and Victoria. Some sort of internal-club rivalry?_

"You and Victoria don't seem like best buds," Max hinted.

Dana huffed, rolling her eyes. "Girl just transferred here, and thinks she can take over the Vortex club. I don't get why Nathan's so enamored with her."

"Did his buddy Jacob also enter the Vortex?"

"Jacob? Oh, that silent kid who's always shadowing Nathan? No. Don't know what's going on there, really. Nathan seems to think he's cool though. Actually, I heard through the grapevine that you, Jacob, and Victoria all have history back in Seattle, right?"

"That's putting it mildly," Max replied, doing her best to refrain from looking directly at Victoria.

"I smell gossip. Max, you _have_ to fess up. But not right now. Date later?"

Max grew a little flush. It was still so strange to have all this positive attention directed at her. "Ah-of course. Sure thing, Dana. Actually, Chloe should be here any minute. You two haven't met, I don't think."

"Ah, right! The illustrious girlfriend!"

Max raised an eyebrow, glad that people seemed to finally be getting the hint. Max had noticed a slight change in her interactions with students today.

_Even though it was just Kate, Warren and Brooke, I guess showing Chloe off at movie night did the trick. I guess gossip really does spread like wildfire here._

"A round of applause for our two most beautiful young stars," Mr. Keaton embellished, loud enough for the whole room to hear. A number of people cheered as Dana and Max took a hasty bow. Victoria just smirked. "Max, I am absolutely flabbergasted that you've never acted before! You're an absolute natural!"

"Th-thanks," Max replied, becoming somewhat self-conscious at the boisterous compliment. Mr. Keaton didn't seem to know the meaning of the word "subtle."

With practice formally over, students began collecting their things and making their exit. Max planned to meet Chloe in class, so she continued her conversation with Dana, while trying her best to ignore the fact that Victoria was also hanging around, making eyes at them every so often.

"Max!" Chloe yelled from the open door, a few minutes later. She strolled in, effortlessly adopting her trademark "I own this place" swagger.

_Jeez, she doesn't even go to this school. But you wouldn't guess that by looking._

Max fell into the offered hug, resting her head on Chloe's chest before closing her eyes. It had a been a long day, and it felt good to relax a little in her arms. From behind them, Max could make out hushed gagging sounds emanating from Victoria's direction. Chloe's eyes narrowed, offering Victoria a confrontational stare.

Dana took a step back, offering them a little privacy. Remembering her manners, Max pulled away, and made formal introductions.

"Dana, this is Chloe. Chloe, Dana."

Chloe shot Dana a smile, offering her hand. "'Sup? Guess you're the one that-" Max cut Chloe off mid-sentence with a elbow jab to her side. "-Oh, right. So, you're friends with Max, then?"

"You two are too cute together," Dana observed, "And yeah, Max is a treasure. Just ask anyone here. Well. Except miss grouch over there." Dana nodded towards Victoria, who remained in the rear of the room, back leaned up against the wall. Victoria seemed to take the three sets of eyes as her cue to respond. She approached the trio with a bored expression, casually regarding each.

"Listen, Max," Victoria started when she saw that she had all their attention. "I'll be honest. I don't know exactly what went down between you two and the Landhausers. And I can't explain your insane one eighty in personality." She paused to look at Dana. "You know this girl barely talked, back in Seattle? She just let anyone and everyone walk right over her." Dana raised an eyebrow, but let Victoria continue as she returned her attention to Max. "But I _do_ know that the Landhausers have been very good friends to me and my family. And that you two are somehow involved with these outrageous murder allegations."

"The only thing _outrageous_ is the fact that Eric and his fucked-up protege cop murdered my best friend," Chloe accused, moving aggressively towards Victoria, who instinctively took a step back.

Max ground her teeth a little, debating over whether to let this continue.

_Damnit, Chloe. So much for keeping a low profile. But the court case, and what it's about, is public knowledge. And Chloe's made no secret of her connection to Rachel Amber. I guess it doesn't really matter if Chloe blows off a little steam._

As far as Max was aware, their direct connection to Eric's currently legal woes was still a secret. Only James Amber, and his wife, knew they were the ones that originally provided the evidence. Mr. Amber didn't even ask Max to testify against Mr. Landhauser--just against Calvin's character. Of course, as she learned yesterday, Eric fully suspected them. Enough to send his own son to keep a close watch. But, nothing in Chloe's statement revealed anything damning.

Victoria huffed, crossing her arms, giving Chloe a confident stare in response. "I do believe it's innocent until proven guilty, and the jury's still out on that. Everyone knows they'll do the right thing."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean," Chloe threatened.

"Chloe," Max interrupted, deciding to stop this before it got any more heated. "We have to get going, remember?"

"... Yeah. Alright, Max." Chloe gave Victoria one final, hard look, and the pair turned to leave. Dana remained in place, looking thoughtful.

_God. I didn't think they would go for each other's throats so quickly. I do hope Victoria's just putting on airs though. The case isn't really in trouble, is it?_


	7. Depressing Slopes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincere apologies for the months long hiatus. I make only apologies, no excuses :). I've managed to reconcile my internal debates about how to proceed with this story, so from here on out you can expect more frequent updates until its conclusion.
> 
> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to get the ball rolling again and this is what I could come up with. Hope you enjoy.

_Fuck._

_Like seriously, this is_ not good. _These two trends... no way that's a coincidence._

Max sighed, shaking her head with frustration. She tried to let the soft vocals playing from Chloe's stereo soothe her uneasiness, but their melodies failed to provide their usual comfort. Not even her favorite bands could relieve the stress of this situation. She began to pace, weaving in and out of the evening shafts of light that pierced the bedroom's windows. A few feet away, Chloe took a hesitant step back, rubbing her chin, taking in her work. She shot Max an expectant look.

Max paused her patrol and raised a hand into the air. "Don't look at me for answers, Chloe. I'm just as in the dark as you."

A poster board, recently reclaimed from a peaceful grave in the Price household's backyard, stood propped up against the far wall of their room. Although it had clearly seen better days, and was far past its prime, the large piece of particleboard worked as a serviceable vehicle for their notes, graphs, and drawings. Taped to its center was a grid of graph paper, showing trendlines against times and dates. Post-it notes, scrawled with hastily written questions, littered the poster board's perimeter.

"And there's nothing else from your dreams that could help?"

Chloe's question was earnest, but they both knew the answer.

"Chloe, we've at this _all day_. We've covered the dreams half a dozen times already. There's no other clues--it's no bueno."

"I know, I know," Chloe resigned, grinding her teeth in frustration. "I don't like this, Max. See, this line is graphed on the slope of the rate that you're losing seconds during your rewind. And this other line projects the time we think your mystical dream clock reaches zero. They collide at _exact same date and time_ , Max. They _have_ to be connected."

"The date of the play, of all things," Max pointed out.

"Shitballs. Really?"

Max nodded. Chloe jotted something onto another post-it note, taking a few seconds to find a home for it on the board.

"Fuck me. Max... what happens when the lines converge? Max. When you lose your power? Pretty obvious at this point your dream clock is telling you when your power runs out. I've triple checked my algebra-foo and... yeah. Much as I hate it, I'm pretty sure I didn't make any mistakes."

Less than a week had gone by since Max's first rehearsal for the play, and the girls had spent their Saturday playing detective at home. Throughout the week, every evening Max had measured her rewind length, and every night the ominous count-down dream disturbed her rest. The values on the dream-clock maintained an eerie consistency. Of course, being asleep at the time, she didn't know exactly _when_ she saw the countdown. But after waking up the next morning, the time on the clock felt burned into the back of her skull. So she noted it in her journal. The clock seemed to be "real-time," in that each subsequent night, a day on the count down had decremented, along with the hours, minutes, and seconds.

Chloe jumped at the chance to work some predictions when Max related her record keeping. But they both agreed that a decent sample size would be required. After five days of measurements, Chloe took the numbers and ran the maths. What she found was startling: the projected day for the clock to read zero zero was the same day that they predicted Max's rewind to run dry.

_If this is true, then that means I have to act in the play without my power? With these numbers, Chloe's predicted my "return to mere mortal" moment down to the second. And it's just after the play is scheduled to start! That's... crazy! What the hell is going on?  
_

Max slowly brought her arms in for a self-hug, her gut turning at the prospect of her new reality. The _only_ reason she accepted the part was because she had her "magic trick" as backup. Sure, it was fun to pretend that she wouldn't need it. To imagine she would have her lines so well memorized that rewinding wouldn't be necessary. But until now, there was always the cushion, the safety net, of her power to catch her if should she fall. Now, Max realized, if she stumbled during her performance, it would be for real. There would be no do-overs. The stomach twisting sensation grew to a boil, and Max felt panic rear its ugly head.

"C-Chloe," she stammered, "should I just back out? Of the play? I'm sure Victoria would love to take my place."

"Huh?" Chloe's expression became startled as she read Max's body language. Instinctively, she put an arm on Max's shoulder, leaning in close. "The play? Dude, why? I've told you before, you totally got this. Hell, we've been practicing your parts together all week. There's no world where you don't crush this, rewind or no. Plus, do you really want to give Victoria that satisfaction?"

Max bit her lip, letting Chloe's retort soothe her worries.

_She makes a good point. And it would suck to have Victoria lording my failure over me. And what would it do to my rep at school? Not that I really care. I've got everything I want here, with me right now, in this room...  
_

"Victoria could use a morale boost," Max nervously half-joked.

Chloe tightened her grip on Max's shoulder, and narrowed her eyes. "Bullshit. Max, look at me." She paused, waiting for Max to raise her eyes, which she begrudgingly did after a few seconds. "I'll be right there, in the front row. You get nervous? Just find me. I'll be there, and you'll do great. I promise. You're gonna kick hella ass. No problem."

Max let Chloe's forceful reproach wash over her, allowing Chloe's confidence to boost her own. _Chloe's right... millions of people act in plays, all the time, no problem. Why couldn't I? And she's right. I do have my lines more or less memorized at this point._

"Y-yeah, okay. Sorry. I'm just being stupid..." Max trailed off. Chloe shook her head, and drew Max in for a hug.

"Don't even start with that shit, Max. No one, in the history of, well, fuck-all-forever, has had to deal with what you're going through. You don't have _shit_ to apologize for."

Max let go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. "You're right, again. Since when did you become the responsible one," Max jibed, feeling better.

"Pssh, you wish, girl. Just wait till we hit up Vegas and I blow our pirate's booty on blackjack."

_Fuck, that's right. The money._

The sore thumb in her relationship with Chloe, their stolen stash cash, compliments of Eric Landhauser, remained hidden in its usual home--inside Chloe's closet. Time had done little to ease Max's concerns over the trouble it might bring, especially since she knew now that Jacob was in town to weasel out that exact truth. Chloe had stood her ground on the matter; that the cash was theirs, and that they were keeping it. But she had also learned to tip-toe around the subject with Max, and to not bring it up often. Apparently she had momentarily forgotten herself.

 _I doubt Jacob would stoop to breaking and entering. But could he hire someone? What if he does, and I don't have my rewind? Or my ability to focus on a photo, to reset reality when things go pear-shaped? Surely Jacob knows where we live, the Price address is listed. I have to consider this as a possibility... But what_ would _happen if Eric learned we're the ones behind his current predicament? Just how vengeful a person is he? And what kind of power does he really wield?_

"Chloe..." Max paused, suddenly frightened of bringing up the topic. Nevertheless, she pressed on. "What if the Landhausers learn we stole the money, and I don't have my rewind to fix things? They'd... they'd know that we're behind everything. Do we really want to take that risk?"

Chloe released the hug, taking a small step back, and assuming a more confrontational stance. She folded her arms across her chest, leaning a little to one side. "What are you saying, Max?"

_Fuck. I don't want to get into an argument, especially right now. But... I should speak my piece. Isn't that what Chloe's always telling me to do?_

"The money isn't important, Chloe," Max pleaded, a bit more forcefully than she intended. "We don't need it. We're fine without it. Keeping it here is a _risk_ , and only just that. Fuck, honestly, we'd be better off just chucking it from the cliff at the light house."

A long few seconds filled the air after Max's hasty proposal. Chloe remained in position, her posture unchanging. _Shit. Did I go too far? I mean, it_ is _what I'd prefer to do. I hate this feeling of lingering doom hanging over us._

Finally, Chloe broke the silence. "The fuck? Max, can you even hear yourself? We're not chucking forty grand into the ocean. That's crazy."

"Chloe, my power is vanishing. Soon, I won't be able to fix things!"

Chloe stamped her foot, clearly growing agitated at Max's refusal to back down. "Fuck that. We can handle our shit just fine, powers or no, Max."

"We both know that's not true, Chloe. After everything we've been through?"

Chloe fumed, pacing in small circles in front of Max. A few iterations in, she stopped, exclaiming, "Fuck this, I need a smoke." Without further notice, she made her exit, slamming the door behind her. For a long moment, Max stood alone in the empty room, bewildered by the past few seconds.

_Holy, what... did we just... have a fight?_

There was a first time for everything, and Max found herself without experience to grapple with what just went down. Chloe had _never_ stormed off. Not once. Over the past year, they've had their fair share of arguments. But nothing like this.

_I'm... I'm missing something. Why does she care so much about that money?_

The ignition of Chloe's truck outside startled Max back into the present. Fueled by a combination of curiosity, fear, and panic, she ran for the door, listening to the screech of the truck's tires as Chloe pulled out of the driveway.

"Max?" She heard Joyce call out as she powered down the stairs. Max couldn't find the words to respond, and instead flung herself out the front door, which Chloe hadn't bothered to shut. Within seconds she was in the driveway, and without giving it a second thought, she rewound time.

Coherent thoughts were difficult to form as she patiently waited for Chloe's truck to re-appear to its parked position.

_S-should I even be doing this? Is this fair? I mean, couples have fights? Right? Should I give her space? But we've never fought before! Like, ever! I... I have to know what's going on in her head... Even if I have to play dirty._

Max lowered her hand when the truck pulled back in, allowing the flow of time to begin anew its natural course. Chloe responded to Max's presence with a startled jump in the driver's seat, and then rested her arms on the wheel, staring through the windshield directly at Max, who stood inches from the front bumper. Chloe shook her head, and leaned over to pop open the passenger side door, waving her arm to beckon Max inside. Max scrambled onto the seat without a second thought. The moment she shut her door, Chloe slammed the accelerator, lurching them into the street, and into the evening haze.

* * *

Several minutes passed before either girl spoke. Chloe was driving them aimlessly through town, thankfully staying under the speed limit. The last thing Max wanted right now was to have Chloe deal with a speeding ticket. Max did note, however, that Chloe had yet to actually light the cigarette that dangled loosely between her lips.

Max found herself to first to speak. "Chloe... if money's that important, we can get more. With my power, I mean. I'm sure we could figure something out."

Chloe sighed, slowing to take a seemingly random left turn. Max noted that they were headed towards the beach. "It's... it's not about that, Max."

"Then _tell_ me, Chloe," Max tried to remove the exasperation from her voice, but the tone wormed its way in all the same. "All this time, I feel like I'm... stepping in a fucking minefield when it comes to that money."

Chloe spat the cigarette from her mouth, flinging it unceremoniously to the cabin floor. "Taking that money, and the evidence. It was... it felt like _justice_ , Max. For Rachel. That family _took her from me_. But it's been over a year and the law has shit to show for it. Eric's not behind bars. I know it's dumb, but... throwing away the money feels like... fuck, Max. I dunno. Like, admitting defeat? Letting the Landhausers score yet another victory over us?"

"Chloe, we... we _murdered_ the person who killed Rachel. He's _dead_."

"But the man who made it possible isn't, Max. He gave Calvin the green light to spy on Jefferson. He covered for Calvin when he fucked up. Hell, if it wasn't for you and your mad powers, I would've never learned the truth. Rachel Amber would've forever been a god-damn missing persons statistic. No one would've known what happened to her."

Max focused her gaze ahead, suddenly uncomfortable. The topic of Rachel was never something with which she had felt entirely at ease. Clearly, Rachel had been Chloe's first love, even if Chloe had never explicitly stated it in so many words. In their otherwise blissful time together over the past year, Chloe had rarely brought up the topic. With a sudden shock, Max realized she was feeling shame. That _she_ was jealous over Chloe's longing for her lost friend. Despite the passage of time, Max was forced to concluded that Chloe hadn't put her rage to rest.

 _I don't doubt that Chloe loves me... no way. I_ have _to believe that. But Chloe's complicated, and I've been willfully ignoring her feelings about what happened. It was just so much easier to pretend like the matter was put to rest in her mind._

Another spell of silence filled the cabin as Max struggled for something to say in response. Her epiphany about Chloe's mental state, and the shame at having ignored it for all this time, prevented any coherent reply from formulating in a timely fashion. To Max's surprise, Chloe spoke again.

"Max, don't... don't get the wrong idea. I know, even now, I tend to blow a fuse. Even at you. That doesn't... change anything. Right?"

Chloe pulled the truck into a parking space. Max realized where Chloe was taking them--this was the beachfront park that had a trailhead to the lighthouse. Putting the truck out of gear, and leaning on the steering wheel, Chloe turned her head to face Max directly. "Even when I act like a dumb-ass, that's just me being an idiot, okay? Fuck. I mean, it's just you and me, alright?"

Max stretched her hand across the cabin to give Chloe a squeeze on her arm. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily, Chloe. We're together forever, remember?"

Chloe let out a exasperated sob, removing the keys from the ignition, and giving Max a playful punch in the arm.

* * *

The final rays of sunlight glistened over the bay while the pair took in the view from the bench situated before the cliffside. Max drew in a slow breath, trying to come to terms with their shared roller coaster of an evening.

 _First I learn that my powers are destined to disappear at_ exactly _the wrong time and place. And that my dreams really are prophetic. Then I get into a fight with Chloe? What the hell is wrong with this day? Chloe and I_ never _fight. Ever. Even when we were kids, sure, we had our scuffles. But they were just that._

 _I guess we're not kids anymore. That's the difference? Having lived through serious shit... having lost loved ones. That changes you. That_ scars _you. And Chloe's lost more than most. More than me. I've let my own strange problems take front and center in our relationship. I forget that Chloe might not be completely over Rachel. All this time, Chloe's been supporting me, but have I been supporting her? I've... I've been a bad friend...  
_

Max's memories returned to her own father, who himself had only passed a few years ago. She felt a sudden shame at having _not_ spent time with those memories. It really was easier to live in the moment, with Chloe. And her father's death was so closely intertwined with Calvin's introduction to her life. It was a stew of horrible, terrible events she'd rather never face head on.

Dispersing the uncomfortable thoughts with a shake of the head, Max stood up, and walked a few steps towards the cliff before swiveling to face Chloe directly. "Chloe, I've... we've never really talked about Rachel. I know she meant so much to you... and, I sort of... buried her with my own problems."

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but no words came for several moments. "I miss her, Max. I really do. I miss Rachel, I miss my dad... fuck. I won't lie, it still hurts like hell. But going through this, without you here? I couldn't even fucking imagine that."

"I'm not going anywhere, Chloe."

Chloe hopped to her feed, chucking a spent cigarette butt to the ground and squashing it under her boot. Listlessly, she wandered past Max, standing at the edge of the cliff, viewing Arcadia Bay in all its quiet glory.

"I know. You've proven yourself more times than I can count. I don't even deserve someone as good as you."

Max pressed her head into Chloe's shoulder, and they watched the final shower of light disappear beneath the horizon in silence. "Chloe? Let's... fuck the Landhausers."

Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"They're finished with winning, Chloe. It's our money... Our victory."

Chloe swept Max up into a bear hug that seemed to last until darkness had spread throughout the bay. "I know it's dumb, and stupid, Max. But thank you."

Max replied with her lips, pressed warmly against Chloe's.


	8. Dinner in Good Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another quickie. Will be back to regular length chapters soon, I swear! xD

Evening darkness stretched over the Bay, leaving Chloe little light to navigate the crowded parking lot of the Two Whales diner. They found themselves exhausted from a mentally _and_ emotionally taxing day. The revelation of Max's "day zero" and their short, but poignant argument left them both desiring nothing more than food and bed.

 _Time to cross that first item off the list,_ Max thought. They almost didn't find a space: only one remained open, far in the back of the lot.

"You okay, mad Max?" Chloe still had a bit of apprehension to her voice. Chloe was quick to explode, Max noted, but became quite reflective of her actions in the time afterward. No doubt she was cursing herself for pushing Max away, just over an hour ago.

"I will be once I'm staring at a plate of waffles."

Chloe wrinkled her nose as they made steps towards the restaurant. She threw an arm over Max's shoulder, pulling her in. "I still think it's weird you get breakfast for diner."

"I'm not bound by your mere mortal rules of time, remember?" She jibed back. "Well, for now. At least."

Chloe chuckled, lightening the mood between them. "Ah, pray forgiveness. Your humble minion forgets herself."

"Don't think I won't remember this insubordination during your next annual review," Max mocked, struggling out from Chloe's grip. She skipped a few steps in front, twirling around to face direct Chloe directly, walking backwards to keep pace.

"Hate to point out the obvious here Max, but we'll be metaphorical coworkers by then."

"True," Max frowned. "Though, who knows? Maybe on zero day, I'll gain more power than you could ever hope to imagine."

"Okay, Obi Wan. Just be careful--oh, fuck. Check out the window," Chloe motioned with her head. When Max stopped back-stepping, confused by Chloe's sudden change in tone. Chloe turned her around by the shoulders, aiming her back towards the diner.

As the full parking lot implied, the building was packed. Almost every window had heads in it. The diner presented a happy, vibrant oasis--a stark contrast against the poorly-lit gloom of its surroundings. They were close enough now that Max could make out the soft hum of a song playing on the juke box, interspersed by the sounds of kitchenware clanging against itself. Then the smell it. Breakfast, dinner, all the above. Max felt her mouth begin to water.

Impatient, Chloe grabbed Max's head, pointing her attention at the second window from the entrance. Seated at the booth was Victoria and Nathan, looking their usual ornery selves. Nathan appeared distracted, not making much eye contact. Victoria, on the other hand, seemed intently focused on the boy across from her. It looked like she was relating a story, and Nathan appeared bored, his eyes wandering over to the window, then back down at the table.

"Crap," Max found herself saying.

"We could just go somewhere else, if you'd rather, Max."

"Screw that, " Max decided, shaking her head. "We're not getting bullied off our home turf."

"Damn straight. Come on, let's see what's up?"

As Chloe pulled open the door to the diner, the couple seated next to Nathan rose to leave. It was the only free table, so Chloe motioned at it, grabbing Max's hand as they brisked down the isle. Max didn't bother to lift her head as they passed Nathan and Victoria's booth. Today had been stressful enough, and she didn't want to add to her list of concerns. Or deal with Victoria and her increasingly desperate attempts at belittlement.

But she could feel the pointed stare Victoria gave drill into her back. Once seated, both Max and Chloe leaned back to allow a waitress to clean their table. To their surprise, it was Joyce.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in. You two had me worried, earlier. What on earth was going on?"

"Mom," Chloe asked, ignoring Joyce's question. "I thought you had the day off?"

"I did. Then Abby called in sick, so here I am."

"You're not indentured to the Two Whales, mom. What is this, the seventh day you've worked in a row?"

Joyce sighed as she brought the cloth back to her side. She pointed her eyes at Max. "I'd ask what your order is, but is there really a point?"

Max grinned. "It's good to be known."

"One of these days you're going to realize we do in fact serve other dishes, Max. But I can see today is not that day."

Max gave another sheepish grin, feeling better after the homely interaction. Nathan and Victoria's presence faded from the forefront of her mind, and in the moment, it was just her and Chloe, in their favorite restaurant, taking and giving sass as they always did.

"The usual for me too, mom," Chloe replied when Joyce gave her an expectant look. Joyce closed her eyes, shaking her head with a slight grin as she collected the menus. Before leaving she gave each girl a fresh set of silverware and napkins.

"... don't worry, Vic. That smug bitch will get what's coming."

Nathan's words cut through Max's reverie. Nathan, seated just behind to her, spoke his words loudly enough to be heard.

_Is it narcissistic to assume he's talking about me? In any other world, I'd say yes, but knowing what I know..._

Chloe, being seated on the opposite side of the table, missed the dialog. The diner was full of noise and bustle, which easily drowned out most conversation. But she noticed the change in Max's expression, and became worried in response.

"What's up?"

"N-nothing, Chloe," Max replied, keeping her voice low enough so that only Chloe could hear. She leaned in on the table, creating a space for them to talk privately. Chloe leaned forward to match.

"Just, Nathan wanted me to overhear something. Trying to rattle me, I think."

Chloe's eyes narrowed. "You want me to put him in his place? I will, right now," Chloe made motions of getting up, which Max halted by grabbing her arm.

"No! Chloe, it's fine. Fucker's just blowing hot air."

Chloe relaxed, sliding back into place. She unraveled the napkin around her table set, and began spinning the fork in circles atop the table. Max smiled, taking a picture of the moment with her mind's eye.

 _Sometimes, even now, I can't believe all this is... real. Chloe has_ died _, right in front of me. Twice! I'd like to think all that's behind us, but am I being too naive? I would not have thought any of last year possible, but it happened all the same. And now, barring some serious deus ex machina, my powers are going to evaporate, sooner rather than later. What happens if life_ doesn't _settle down? If Eric finds another sick, protégé-turned-hitman to clean up his mess?_

_Honestly, everything was going, well, perfectly. Until I started Blackwell. I mean, it's still a good school. And it's awesome to spend time with Kate, Warren, and all the others. But life was simpler before the start of this semester. It was just me and Chloe, and her family. I swear, months would go by without me even thinking the name "Landhauser." Now, not a day passes without those ugly memories._

Max gulped, the idea of not being able to undo a Chloe-death sinking in.

 _I... I don't know what I'd do, if Chloe dies again, and I can't save her. I've been playing life with cheat codes for over a year now. And what have I done with it? Pranked people? Magic tricks? Maybe, if I wasn't so wanton with them, my powers would've lasted longer? I don't think I could handle it, if I actually_ need _my rewind, and I don't have it. All because I had to swipe Drunken Berry's liquor bottle on a lark?_

 _These powers. Have I been using them responsibly? My ability to jump into a photo... I could go back. Way back. I could stop Dad from dying. I could stop_ William _from dying. But... that's so much time. When I jumped before, it was just a matter of hours. And that was terrifying enough. Who would I return as, if I jumped back years? Even if I got Dad back. William back. Would it be worth it? Would Chloe and I be friends, or enemies? Would we even be alive?  
_

"Max." Chloe snapped a finger in front of Max's face. "Dude, you in there? I know when you're giving yourself shit. So stop, already. I told you, I was being a moron earlier."

Max smiled, grabbing Chloe's hand from the air, encircling it with hers. "Sorry, just... I can't stop thinking about what'll happen when my powers run out."

Chloe's expression softened, letting out a breath. "We'll be _fine_ , dude. Believe it or not, millions of couples survive each and every day without the aid of space-time warping magic."

The comment earned a nervous laugh from Max, who had begun to feel better. She was, and always had been, a sucker for Chloe's enthusiastic encouragement. Through the jumble of ambient noise, Max heard the jingle of a person entering, or leaving the diner. A wave of darkness swept over Chloe, who was seated faced towards the door.

"And annoying our duo becomes a shit-sandwhich," Chloe opined, leaning back in her chair, arms sprawling to either side. Her gaze remained focused on someone behind Max. Even though she was seated in the opposite direction, Max could make a guess at who had just entered.

"Jacob!" Max heard Nathan's voice cut through the air once more. She felt the shifting of their combined seat as Nathan slid over to allow his friend a seat beside him. Looking up, Max could see Chloe was staring daggers at Jacob, who had to be be standing directly behind her.

"Didn't know we had company," Jacob remarked, remaining standing.

"Psh, don't mind those two dykes," Nathan replied, patting the top of the table beside him. "Come on, take a seat, man. The grub here is pretty shit, but it's still the best in town."

"Now _that_ , I'll believe," Jacob sighed, taking the spot offered by Nathan. Max felt the weight of the additional body shift their seat once more. Despite herself, she felt her pulse increase. It took a few moments for her to realize she was clenching her first.

"Dude," Chloe whispered. "You _have_ to let me fuck with him."

Max's eyes widened. "Like, right now? Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously! Come on, please, Max. Having a little fun while your powers are still online isn't going to change anything. And who knows? Maybe we'll learn something." When Max retained an incredulous expression, Chloe gave her best puppy face. Within seconds Max found herself succumbing to Chloe's will, closing her eyes in resignation.

"Alright, wonder-woman. You're in a dead timeline now."

"Hella yes!" Chloe sparkled, a visible tremor of excitement rushing over her person. A moment later and she was out of her seat, brushing past Max with a squeeze on the shoulder. With a smile, Max shook her head and reached out with a soft touch, verifying that her power was still at the ready.

"Hey, dipshits." Max heard Chloe say from behind her. Max turned in her seat to get a better look. Chloe was standing just before Jacob and Nathan's seat, one hand on her side, and another on their table, leaning forward with an accusatory glare.

Victoria gave an involuntary gasp at Chloe's bold gesture, earning another grin from Max.

"Do _not_ get in my space, girl," Jacob threatened, his voice cold.

"Your space? Sorry dude, but Max and I put our flag here years ago. Here. Let me welcome your ass to our domain."

Chloe lifted Jacob's water glass off the table, and poured its contents over his head. The cascade of liquid drenched his hair, shirt, and jeans. Max gasped, surprised by the the audacity of Chloe's action. She knew Chloe had a tendency to become a little reckless when in a defunct timeline, but this was a new new level of boldness.

"You... _bitch_ ," Jacob cried, remaining seated in bewilderment.

"Are you insane?" Victoria shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Chloe just smiled, backing off a bit to let Jacob, now soaked head to toe, move. But he remained in his seat, calmly reaching for a napkin, wiping off his face in smooth, controlled motions.

"You are _dead_ , whore," Nathan barked. From her vantage point, Max could tell the young Prescott was bristling with the desire to leap into action, but he remained locked in place by Jacob. She let loose an involuntarily giggle.

"Something _funny_ , bitch?" Nathan turned to face Max, their faces inches apart. His murderous expression sent an immediate chill down Max's spine. But both their attentions were stolen by Jacob, who flashed up from his seat, giving Chloe a harsh shove backwards. By this point, the scuffle had caught more than just the attention of their two tables. Many patrons had paused their meals to focus on the drama playing out before them. Even Joyce, behind the counter, had stopped working, and was intensely observing the interaction.

Wiping a hand through his wet hair, Jacob addressed a startled Chloe. "Listen closely. You two fuck heads are going to get _exactly_ what's coming to you. Do you understand? Do you fucking get it? Your days have been numbered ever since that goddamn barbecue, a year ago. I don't know when, or how, but we _will_ get justice."

"That's my line, dickhole," Chloe spat back. "Your family _murdered Rachel._ You _fucking killed her!_ "

It was Jacob's turn to show a face of surprise.

_Interesting. So Jacob doesn't know. Makes sense... no reason for his father expose all their dirty laundry. Okay. Time to be super-max. Sorry Chloe.  
_

A careful few seconds of rewind was all it took to reset things. "Wait, Chloe," Max ordered, stopping Chloe before she got up. "You've already had your fun."

Chloe pouted, but remained seated. "Sometimes I hate how this time-warrior shit works. I never get to be the crazy-Chloe."

"But you do get to be final-Chloe," Max offered. "So that's something, right?"

"So? What shenanigans did awesome-me get up to?"

"Well, you gave Jacob quick bath with his water glass. And... I think there's something else coming, Chloe. Jacob didn't mention any specifics, but... I don't know. It was enough to make me worried."

Chloe nodded, giving Max's hand a squeeze. But Chloe's face quickly fell into one of concern.

"Dude, your nose."

"Shit," Max swore, wiping away the trickle of blood oozing from her nose with a napkin. "Guess... it's getting easier to reach my limit."

"Alright you two," Joyce interrupted, her arms full with plates. "Time to chow down."


	9. Zero Hour

A murder of crows flocked overhead, expanding and contracting with rhythmic motion as they soared through the sky above the Blackwell courtyard. Max took in a deep breath, once again readjusting her costume's rather uncomfortable tunic. The medieval setting called for a homely one piece, completed by a modest bonnet. Their costume's weren't lewd--quite the opposite, to the chagrin of many others in the play--but it was a far cry from Max's usual t-shirt and jeans.

"You look fucking a _-dork_ -able in that get up," Chloe had remarked after seeing her in costume for the first time, now weeks ago. Max just blushed, waving off the compliment with a self deprecating remark. "I guess I fit the style well. Unlike Dana over there."

Pulling her mind back to the present, she released the nervous breath. Chloe wasn't with her now, instead trapped outside in the general audience area. The play was less than an hour away, and she waited "back stage," a region of the courtyard sectioned off and reserved for crew only. Although it was only just past six in the evening, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows over regions where the make-shift stage lighting didn't reach. Around her, the bustle of actors and drama students turned stagehands moved swiftly, trying to get everything ready for the big night ahead. Max tried to pass the time by going over her lines, over and over again. The past few rehearsals flew by without a hitch, but the butterflies that had recently taken up residence in her stomach refused to settle. Acting in front of a bunch of drama students and a teacher was one thing. In front of a hundred plus people?

 _Why, god, why did I let myself get talked into this?_ The memory of Chloe championing her participation, now a month ago, sprung to mind. _Right. Why do I do anything? The reason almost always has twinge of blue attached to it. But Chloe's right--I can do this. I know my lines... and everyone out there is rooting for me. In an hour, I might not be Super-Max anymore, but I'll still be Max. I'll still be the girl that's heads over heels for her best friend. Nothing changes that._

Max had continued her book keeping over the past few weeks since the day she and Chloe discovered when, and effectively where, her powers would run dry. And with some slight variance, her findings matched Chloe's predictions almost exactly.

"Fuck," Chloe had remarked, about a week ago. "I mean, I hate being wrong, but sometimes, it sucks to be so damn _right_." She had just raised her head from going over Max's most recent data points. "Your max rewind length matches my prediction with a two second margin of error. So, _go me,_ I guess." Max had felt Chloe's true sentiment through the sarcastic remark, and simply wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck, who was sitting at the desk. "Really, Chloe, it's fine," she comforted. "I've.. come to terms with this."

 _Have I, though?_ Max stepped quickly aside to allow two stage hands carrying a dangerously large, decorative set piece, to pass unhindered. _Even now, with my rewind down to just a few seconds, I don't know if it's really sunk in yet. And what about my photo power? I guess I'll know whether or not that's gone, soon enough. One thing's for sure though, I can't rely on my rewind during the play. Have to do this one au naturel._

After their heated confrontation-that-didn't-happen at the Two Whales diner, Jacob and his crew had gone strangely silent. Max wanted to dismiss his veiled threat, but the lingering doubt of worry refused to dislodge itself from the back of her mind.

_What if I'm missing something completely, here. It's so weird that Jacob just backed off, like, completely. I mean, from his perspective, he didn't even make that threat. So why do I still have this bad mojo? What is his dad planning? Surely they haven't just given up?_

But, from all outward appearances, that was exactly what the Landhausers had done. Over the past few weeks Jacob attempted none of his intel-gathering antics. He, as well as Nathan and Victoria, had treated Max as a non-person, refusing to acknowledge her as much as possible.

A buzz in her left hand startled Max from her thoughts.

 **Chloe:** just getting seats with Joyce and David. Ur gun rock this, girl.

 **Chloe:** here, a free emoji, on the house

 **Chloe:** XOXO

"Max Caulfield, are you insane? You _know_ there's no cell phones allowed!" Mr. Keaton brisked across the make-shift backstage area and held out his hand, demanding the phone. Before relinquishing the device, she texted back,

 **Max:** diving in! c u on the other side

"I know, Mr. Keaton. Can't blame me for trying, right?" Max placed the phone in the palm of his outstretched hand, which earned a quick smile from the teacher.

"Max, don't look so glum. You're going to do _wonderful_ tonight. Star of the show, I can feel it now. So relax! Mingle with your illustrious compatriots!" With that, the man took off, locating another brewing disaster requiring his attention.

 _Right. That's me, party animal._ A brief look around the area failed to offer much in the way of encouragement. Despite the several rehearsals over the past few weeks, and Dana's best efforts, Max hadn't gained many more friends than Julia. She felt a little bad about her change in behavior--like she had been dishonest to both Dana and the school body at large.

 _Dana was so excited to get me involved in the upper echelons of Blackwell's social circles. But... without my rewind, there's_ no way _I could hold my own with that crowd. Sorry Chloe, but that's the truth. So... it seems right to wean myself off the time-travel crack. Even if it means failing to live up to expectations. And decline party invitations.  
_

Dana's confused frustration with Max's gradual introversion was a microcosm of her social state at school. Since learning that the rewind would evaporate, Max began to hold off on its use, forgoing her power to turn situations to her (often times petty) advantage. The effect in behavior had been slow building, but unerringly noticeable. Without her rewind to guard against her usual slip ups and _faux pas_ , Max let several situations between, and even during, classes slip by without projecting her will onto them.

The most common of which, and initially the most painful, was getting questions wrong during lecture. Max had become a quick favorite of several teachers--she was a student that always seemed to know just what the instructor wanted to hear. Like she had taken the words right out of their mouths. Which, of course, she had. Max cringed inwardly at a particularly painful memory.

"Nobody?" Mrs Grand had asked. The class quickly became a sea of fearful expressions, all refusing to meet the instructor's piercing gaze. "Well, looks like we'll have trust in our old standby. Mrs. Caulfield, would you please enlighten us?"

Max had stared numbly at at the equation on the board, uncomfortably withering under the attention of the entire class, who no doubt expected the correct answer to pop out of her mouth at any moment. Mrs. Grant waited, confident that Max would produce her as always, perfect answer. The overpowering desire to cheat, to use her power and just  _get past_ this situation, flooded every fiber of her being. But she fought down the urge, held firm, and simply shook her head without saying a word. It was the most she could do, given the situation. From across the room, and from the corner of her eye, she caught Victoria smirking.

"Poor girl probably spent too much time last night trying to memorize her lines," Victoria chided, broadcasting her voice to the whole class. "Which she can barely get right. _Really_ looking forward to opening night, Maxine. Should be quite the _exposé_."

Kate had rubbed a hand on Max's shoulder, offering what comfort she could, when Max didn't respond. Victoria's remark had only been a half truth; a desperate projection on her part to belittle Max. Despite everything else, Max _did_ feel confident in her lines. Memorization and practice had made itself a wonderful distraction.

Still, her reversion in behavior had its effects. Students seemed to pass her by more. She overheard her name in the hallways less and less. Her brief stint in the popularity spot light had waned, and Max knew it was coming to a close. But all things considered, Max found herself at peace. Being everyone's friend had its perks, but carried with it a lot of baggage. Plus, between Kate, Warren, Brooke, and Dana, Max hadn't found herself wanting for companionship at school. Her bond with Kate had only grown over the past few weeks, and it had been exciting to watch (and opine) on the flowering relationship between Warren and Brooke. Poor guy _still_ didn't seem to realize just how much the girl was into him.

_Ugh. With this power... I feel like I've been flying a jetliner for the past year. But it's time to take this plane in. All things have to end, right? So, might as well stick the landing...  
_

Unbidden, Max found her thoughts wandering to the Landhausers, and their obvious-yet-no-so-obvious vendetta. _It's been a quiet month. I mean, obviously, given what I saw at the Two Whales a few weeks ago, Jacob, and by extension, his family, still has it out for us. But it's been crickets since then. Why? No attempt on my phone, no bullying, no nothing. And it's almost as if he's been keeping Nathan and Victoria reigned in. Victoria's few outbursts notwithstanding. It feels oddly reminiscent of our dynamic back in Seattle. Before all this supernatural drama started. When my problems were of the more mundane, gut-wrenchingly terrible kind. God... that feels like so long ago now. And now, it seems like everything is going to reset. In just under an hour, if Chloe's prediction pans out. What's_ really _going to happen? I put on a brave front to Chloe... but I feel like I'm standing on the edge of the abyss, looking in, shouting "hello." And... I'm terrified something will answer. Or, some_ one _.  
_

The hallucination of Calvin's voice hadn't manifested itself since the initial fright, over a month ago now. But its potency hadn't died. Max had hid the worry from Chloe, but Calvin's words still rung loud in her head. _"Everything is going to be okay."_ Max shuddered, trying to stifle the involuntary convulsions the memory produced.

 _Time travel? Saving Chloe's life? Murdering Calvin? What if... what if this_ is _insanity? What if Chloe_ did _die, and I'm just some lunatic raving in a mental institution? Is that even possible? Can a crazy person be so clear minded? Or would they know the difference? Maybe this internal "clock" is just two sides of my brain, battling for control? God, I can't even think that way...  
_

Another few seconds trickled by, the slow passage of time nothing to ease Max's sense of foreboding. Everything that had happened since saving Chloe--it was full of its trials and tribulations, but it also, somehow, seemed too good to be true.

"Max! Get over here, girl!" As much as Max wanted to, she couldn't ignore Dana's exuberant invitation to join her small circle. There was too much to consider, think and worry about. The last think she wanted was to have to deal with more social pressures.

An arm pressed in to her side (a habit she had tried to swear off, long ago), Max wordlessly ventured towards Dana, who broke a bit from the circle of actors, allowing Max a spot to stand. Max knew she should feel more or less at home here--she had been attending nightly rehearsals the past week with everyone standing around here. And they seemed in good spirits. Everyone seemed eager to show off their hard work and practice.

"Max, what's up? You look so worried."

"It's nothing Dana, just... nerves," Max replied while staring at her feet.

"We've nailed every practice, Max. There's no doubt in my mind everyone is going to love us tonight."

 _Yeah, except I only just recently started abstaining from my rewind. Sure, I've practiced my lines over and over in my room. But honestly, how many times have I successfully gone through the whole play, without a mistake? Am I really ready for this? Everyone else seems so prepared, and eager. Chloe would drive her knuckles into my head for thinking this, but I'd_ so _rather just be at home right now, on our bed, watching some dumb horror movie._

"Yeah... so, how much time until curtains?" Max deflected.

"Don't look so worried, dude," Kirk offered, from the other side of the circle. "You're totally going to kill this." Kirk had ostensibly the most important role, the Pied Piper himself. Her classmate had the pedigree of an experienced actor, having been in plays all his life since childhood. Max could tell, to him, this was just another run-of-the-mill performance. He had an easy disposition that, right now, she envied above all else.

"Right, no, it's fine. Really," Max waved, trying to hide what must be obvious nerves.

"Everyone! Everyone!" Mr. Keaton's bombastic call drew attention around him, as he waved his arms high in the air, beckoning the actors and stage hands to his presence.

"We've all worked so hard over these past few weeks, and I'm absolutely proud of each and every one of you. Now, prepare yourselves! We begin in five!"

The students that had milled around Mr. Keaton broke immediately, scattering in every which direction to their respective responsibilities.

_Well, this is it. Time to do or die, Max._

Grimly, she made her way towards left stage, from which both she and Dana would make their initial appearance. The remaining cast took their positions, and everyone waited for the music to start. Again, Max bit her lip, feelings of doubt cropping up once again. A gentle squeeze on the shoulder, and friendly smile, from Dana eased the tension a little.

Off to the side, Max caught a glimpse of Victoria, gaining a smug smirk, and crossing her arms. "Break a leg, Max," she encouraged mockingly. Before Max could answer, the music came on, and the audience dimmed from view. Although now a sea of silhouettes, Max could immediately make out where the Price family was sitting. Second row, center isle. As she gingerly walked onto stage alongside Dana, she could see a small fist shake in the air from Chloe's seat.

_No backing out now. And, if our calculations were correct, so are my final minutes of rewind. Ugh, come on, Max. Focus!_

Fortunately, Max didn't have the opening line. A narrator stood center stage, giving the story's introduction, while Max and the rest of the cast stood behind, shrouded in darkness. Patiently, Max waited.

"We know, but what is do be done? If we do nothing, this town will soon be more vermin than people!"

That was her queue. Max took a breath, and prepared to speak.

* * *

"Finally! You're here! Maxine Caulfield, it's been _so long_. Quite boring being a passenger, you know. You should really pick up some other hobbies. Branch out a little."

 _What. The fuck? W-why am I here?_ How _can I be here?_

The play, its audience, and her fellow actors were all gone. Instead of the stage floor, Max found herself standing in the middle of her old room, back in Seattle. Sitting on top the desk, and holding the count-down clock, was Calvin. He idly played with the small alarm clock before setting it back down on the desk. Its screen displayed "00:00."

"You're  _dead_. This... this is just some-"

"Some _what_ , Maxine?" Calvin sighed, putting both hands on the desk as he leaned against it. "Death is a fickle thing. Especially when you've been messing around with time." He raised his hand, scolding Max a wave of his index finger.

"B-bullshit. You're just some... figment of my imagination."

Calvin laughed, pushing himself off the desk and taking a few steps towards Max. Instinctively, she took a step towards the door.

"Don't sound _too_ sure of yourself. But, perhaps you're right. So what? I'm just a ghost. Or a spirit. Does it really change anything? Time has stopped, Max, and you're here _now_. You've had a whole year to play. It's time to pay your dues."

"Why... why _here..."_ Max couldn't prevent a small tremble from creeping into her voice. The question, she knew as she asked it, was rhetorical. She didn't even need Calvin, or whatever it was with her, to explain it.

"Because this is where it started, Maxine. This is where you denied reality. Where else would you come back to?"

_No... no way. I'm... I'm sane. This is just some fucked up mind game that he's--I'm--playing on myself._

As in reply to the thought, a brief flash illuminated the room, causing Max to raise her arms from the sudden brightness. Calvin had moved. He stood over Chloe's body, the smell of gunpowder and blood just starting to fill the room.

Max gasped, horrified at the image she had seen only just once, briefly, over a year ago. An event she took back. Calvin kept his eyes on Chloe's body, shaking his head a little. "Never threaten a man in his home, girlie," he muttered while holstering his weapon. Another flash, and the memory froze. Calvin stood just beside Max, leaning down to whisper into her ear.

"You see, Maxine? This is what was supposed to happen. My buddies down at the station arrive within minutes. I'd give my honest account. Terrified doe that you are, you'd fall into line. Wouldn't you, Maxine?"

" _No way,"_ Max rejected, her stomach turning at the sight of Chloe, frozen on the floor, in the midst of a dying convulsion.

"Chloe's dead," he said, pointing to the corpse on the floor. He pointed to himself next. "I'm dead. Join us, Maxine."

"Like hell I will," Max spat back. "Is this sadistic... tableau, supposed to frighten me? I'm not scared, Calvin."

Calvin shook his head, another smile forming on his lips. "You always were a little brat, you know that? All I ever did was try to help you, and what do I get for my effort? Pancaked and left for days to rot. But we both know the truth, Maxine. Without your gift? You would've let me get away with it. You would've kept your mouth shut, like you always did. It's not as if you cared about Chloe. Leaving all those years ago, when she needed you most."

Max closed her eyes, concentrating her will to end this dream, vision, or whatever it was.

"Nuh-uh, Maxine. Not going to work. You see, I've been stuck--here--all these months. Ever since you first fucking changed history. Been a hard road, to be sure, for both of us. But it's time to stop running, and face the god-damned music! There _consequences_ for your actions. You've gotten what you wanted." Max sucked in an air of shock as Calvin grabbed her arm, his grip painfully tight. "It's time to pony up," he growled.

"MAX"

_Oh god, oh god, I'm stuck here, aren't I? Forever trapped in a moment? W-what's happening, out there? Maybe, that clock... it wasn't telling me just when my powers run out? It was telling me when time... for me... will end? Trapped in here forever, like a Murakami novel?_

" _MAX"_

The voice was louder this time, but was quickly lost, jumbled, and juxtaposed in the wind of Max's increasingly turbulent thoughts.

_Is... is this the price? Was I just being naive, to think that I could just change things, no strings attached? Would... would I do it differently?_

Max didn't even need to think the answer to the question. The unanimous response from her heart was a definitive " _NO._ "

_It's not even a choice. There's no way I'd let Chloe die, not when I could stop it. Even if there are... consequences._

"MAX!!!"

The voice was more clear, cutting through the vision's haze.

_Chloe?_

"Fucking punk slut," Calvin grumbled, his grip weakening. "Just remember, Max. I'm here. I'll always be here."

* * *

On the flip of a dime, the world became unbearably bright. Max realized she was on the floor, staring up at the floodlights that lit the stage. Surrounding her vision on all sides were concerned faces. Forefront and center was Chloe's.

_She's been crying? Fuck... holy shit, that--the play? I'm still here?_

"MA--oh shit, shit, Max! Can you hear me?"

Max tried to voice a reply, but could only muster a groan, finding any movement at all to be unbearably difficult.

"Chloe, please, step away," Max could make out Mr. Keaton saying. "Max has... had a moment." The disappointment in his tone was palpable. "It happens; I've seen it before. Opening night nerves are all there is to see here. Now, _please_ , young lady. The stage is for actors only."

"Fuck your moment," Chloe hissed back.

"Mr. Keaton!" Max heard Victoria's voice, somewhere behind her. "Please, all these people are here, they're expecting a performance. And we've all worked so hard. All this is just too much for poor Maxine. But I can fill in for her part--you _know_ I can."

"Yes, yes, of course," Mr. Keaton mused while rubbing his chin. "The show must go on."

_How long have I been out? I... I passed out on stage? Victoria's replacing me?  
_

"You're both insane," Chloe barked as she collected Max, doing her best to help Max up to a standing position. "Max," she said, in a softer voice. "Come--come on, screw these assholes. Let's just, get the fuck out of here...?"

_I... I ruined it. Dana's play. They trusted me, and I completely dropped the ball._

Walking, let alone talking, remained difficult, but Max managed a small nod in reply to the question. With Chloe's assistance, she slowly rose to both feet, leaning fully against Chloe as they stumbled towards the front of the stage. Max found herself thankful that the audience, and their faces, remained mostly obscured. Their shocked expressions weren't something she wanted for her internal photo album.

David stepped forward to help Max down when they reached the edge of the stage, his arms reaching up to catch Max as Chloe lowered her. He effortlessly swung her into a cradle, an arm around her back and legs. "Max," he said. "You're going to be alright, you hear?"

Chloe landed with a small  _thud_ beside them, taking a moment to run hand through Max's hair. "I'm so sorry, Max. I... this is  _my_ fault. Fuck, let's, fuck all this, right? Let's just go home?"

Max closed her eyes, nodding again. _Great, I ruined everything for everyone. Good going, Maxine._

But right now, the temptation of _home_ was too great to pass up. The embarrassment of having fainted on stage, the vision, Dana's inevitable disappointment, all of it, could be dealt with later. The temptation of shutting off the world, and retreating to the safety of her cocoon, overpowered all other desires.

As the three of them walked down center isle, they were joined by Joyce, who had grabbed everyone's things from their chairs. Her face was full of worry. Embarrassed, Max turned her head away. In doing so, she caught a sight of Jacob, sitting a few seats away. He was staring right back at her.

And he was smiling.


	10. Grand Reset

The events following Max's public display quickly devolved, twisting and distorting into a disjointed series of freeze frame moments. A flash of Jacob's sly smile as David carried her down the center isle. Chloe, keeping pace with David--glued to his side--her face painted with fear and worry.

Reaching the car seemed to take forever, but by the time she was in the back seat, huddled beside Chloe, who promptly took the middle, it felt like no time had passed at all. It was after David hit the ignition, and they were on the road, that reality came crashing down.

_I'm... the play... everyone is going to be so disappointed. And that vision! What Calvin said--was that real? Or some perverted guilt trip? Either way, I don't know what I would've done, if I hadn't heard Chloe's voice..._

Max felt, more than noticed, Chloe's intense stare. Her gaze remained glued on her face since they started driving. Max wasn't sure whether to feel ashamed, grateful, embarrassed, or all of the above.

 _She had such faith in me. Of course I barfed it up. Good job, once again, Maxine. How could I have been so stupid? This whole idea was lame to begin with. I... I just wanted to impress people. I wanted Dana to like me. I wanted to stick it to Victoria. And... I wanted Chloe to be proud. Of something that didn't involve my power. Now look. No power,_ and _no accomplishment. Victoria's probably eating her heart out right now._

"Cut that shit out, Max."

"Chloe!" Joyce reprimanded from the front seat. "I swear, what is wrong with you? Can't you see the state she's in?"

Ignoring her mother, Chloe's eyes narrowed, leaning closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper, becoming inaudible to her parents. "I know what's swirling around in there, Max," she hushed into Max's ear while giving her head a rap with her knuckles. "And you need to knock it the hell off. We _are_ getting through this, alright? You _know_ I don't give a fuck about the play."

"But..." Max whispered back, but even as the words left her mouth, she knew it was pointless. There was no debating Chloe once she had set her mind.

"Fuck all that noise, okay? You... Max. You just up and passed out." Max's stomach turned a little at hearing the slight tremor in Chloe's voice. "You haven't done that in ages. Recently it's... it's just been... fuck, nightmares, and shit. What, what happened...?"

"Chloe, please! Max needs to rest," Joyce started again.

"Chloe," David ordered, keeping his eyes on the road. "Max needs rest and quiet. Trust me."

_Everyone's the expert. No, that's mean. I know they both just want to help._

Max squeezed Chloe's hand, trying to give some non-verbal reassurance that she was okay. She turned her head towards the front seat, raising her voice to conversational volume for the first time since getting on stage. "I'm, I'm alright, David. Joyce. I just need a bit of rest. I'm... I'm really sorry for ruining the evening..."

"Can you even hear yourself?" Chloe asked, the disbelief in her voice palpable. " _No way_ you're blaming yourself for this shit!"

"Chloe..." Max's voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue with Joyce and David present. Chloe sounded confrontational, even angry, but Max knew the truth. Chloe was terrified. She gave their hands another squeeze, hoping to give some reassurance, and pulled Chloe's arm over her shoulder. The remainder of the trip passed in silence, the steady rhythm of passing street lights illuminating splotches streets and sidewalks through the darkness.

_So is it really gone?_

Max gulped. She knew she would have to test it at some point. Verify that her power had indeed left her. Better to rip off the band-aid. Despite being in a moving vehicle, she raised her hand, and called out. Deafening silence roared in reply.

_The death of Super-Max. I guess... it's just plain old Max Caulfield from here on out..._

* * *

Safe once more in the confines of their room, Max stood at the foot of their bed. She closed her eyes, and fell forward, letting the soft mattress catch her fall, and buried her face into the blankets. She felt the dip of Chloe's weight as she sat down next to her, placing a hand on her back. Neither spoke for several minutes.

_I shouldn't be so stupid. I'm sure Chloe meant what she said, that she doesn't care about the play. She's probably worried sick... she had to watch me walk out there, and then straight up feint. And she's the only one that sort-of knows what's really going on. Everyone else... well. Who knows what they think?_

_God, what did Mr. Keaton say? That he had "seen this sort of thing before?" I don't think so, buddy. Not unless your previous students are broken, murdering time travelers. No getting around it though--I'm going to have to face the music. At least I changed clothes before going to the play. I guess, tomorrow, I'll need to return the costume, and--oh shit. My phone. Mr. Keaton still has my phone._

_Fuck._

"Max?" Chloe's voice was both hesitant and pained. Max could tell she wanted more than anything to _fix this_ , but knew that she was powerless. Max took a deep breath, and rolled around, propping herself back up into a seating position beside Chloe on the bed. Both their legs stretched off the side as they stared at the floor in tandem.

"He was there, Chloe. Said that my time was up. That we were going to spend forever together."

Chloe grunted. "Bullshit. That's _my_ line."

"It's gone, too. My power. I tried it earlier, in the car." Max took a moment to breath. Admitting it out loud was more difficult than she had thought. Chloe simply nodded in response.

"I'm sorry, Max. I... I know how hard you worked for this. But, it's like we talked about. You, me? Long as we're together, I don't give a fuck. And neither should you."

"Still... I'm sorry about the play. I know you were looking forward to me kicking ass."

Chloe "psshed" away Max's worry. "Don't even start with that. Max, when you... just fucking, collapsed, on that stage. Shit." Chloe took a moment to rub her head. "You have no fucking idea, Max. Last thing I care about right now is some dumbass play."

 _Right. That must've been hell for her. I mean, we both knew that countdown would end during the play. But neither of us thought that it would trigger a vision. Especially one like_ that _._

"Chloe, the vision... it was different. More different than usual. Calvin said that he'd been in my head, all this time. Observing me. Watching... us."

Chloe paused for a moment, a touch shocked by Max's words. "Okay... creepy."

"You're telling me. But, it was like it was _him._ I... I dunno. God. He got so angry when your voice broke through. Chloe... I, what happens if you're not there, to pull me back?"

"Never gonna happen. Trust me Max. Besides, I'm... I'm hoping that bullshit is over with, for good. Like, it sucks, you losing your powers. But if it means you don't have to suffer through this magic-induced PTSD dogshit, then, fuck it."

Max leaned her head onto Chloe's shoulder, letting lose a tension she didn't know she was holding as Chloe slid an arm around her front and back. "I hope you're right, Chloe."

"Screw hope. L-listen, Max, pretty soon I'll have my associates. I'll use my smart-ass brain to get that bachelors, then, fuck it, I dunno. Get a job in Seattle or something. I've been looking at job postings and Amazon is hiring like crazy up there. We'll get an apartment. I'll earn hella bank at my swank ass gig, you'll take kick ass pictures of Seattle. Or enroll at the UW. I'm sure they got a fine arts program there."

"I think working for Amazon is probably the antithesis of punk rock, Chloe."

"Someone's gotta school those tech-bros, Max. But you're right. I've already looked at doing other shit, like web design for bands. I could see myself just doing contract work."

Max surprised herself with a small laugh. _Of course Chloe could cheer me up. Even after the one of the worst days of my life.  
_

"I admit, it would be a better fit for our proposed starving artist vibe."

A buzz rang through the room, reminding Max of her lost phone. Chloe cursed under her breath as she searched her pockets for her phone. Drawing it out, and looking at the screen, she also grabbed and lit a half smoked joint. The fume of smoke filled the air, and Max again fell backwards on the bed, this time facing the ceiling. She closed her eyes and let the smell of cannabis overtake the senses.

_So weird. I'm totally not into inhaling smoke, but that smell. It... it smells like home._

"Fuck." Chloe was staring at the screen, surrounded by a small cloud of haze off the joint held between two pinched fingers.

_Right. I guess the play's over by now. If they continued it? I'm sure they did. Victoria must've been chomping at the bit to take my place._

"Unless it's a category five hurricane, it can't be that bad, Chloe."

"Arcadia Bay isn't the gulf states, Max. But you're right, it's just bullshit."

"What, though?" Despite herself, Max couldn't help but be a little curious as to what had grabbed Chloe's attention.

"Nothing. Just, fuck, forget I said anything."

"Don't make me get on the laptop," Max threatened. "You know I will."

Chloe sighed, waving down Max's threaten with a motion of the hand.

"Easy, girl. Ugh. Apparently, Bitch-toria saved the day. _The show must go on_ , I guess."

"Mr. Keaton has his priorities," Max affirmed.

"Hate to say it, but I'm surprised you're not getting any texts."

_Unlikely. My phone is probably blowing up right now._

"Mr. Keaton took my phone just before the play."

"You're joking. Seriously?"

"Cereal."

"What a dick. You should _not_ have to beg that douche nozzle for your phone back. Fuck that. Max, let me. I'll deal with the bastard, no problem."

"Thanks, Chloe, but... I've got to deal with my own fallout." Max spoke the words with more confidence than she felt.

 _I mean, it would be sweet to have Chloe just do it for me. She could return the costume as well. But, I... I need to learn to start accepting the consequences of what happens. I can't just_ change _shit anymore. It'll... suck... but I have to do this one on my own._

Putting her phone away, Chloe flopped down next to Max, facing her directly as Max continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Max..."

"I swear, I'm fine. I mean, not fine. But... you're right. We're both here. And that's what matters."

* * *

The unsteady screech of Chloe's breaks tore through the morning air as she slowed the vehicle, coming to a halt along the street outside Blackwell's main entrance. She gave Max an uncertain, expecting glance. For her part, Max simply wanted to get through whatever hell the day might bring. Not having her phone last night became a small blessing in disguise--she was actually able shut out the outside world, and spend a much needed night of peace watching cartoons with Chloe. Max fiddled her hands together, keeping her eyes focused on her lap.

"Just say the word, Max. Take a sick day. I'll run your costume back--get your phone. It'll be hella quick, in and out. No problem."

"I know, Chloe. And thanks. But... I think it's better to face this head on, as much as it sucks. Even if things become like they were at school in Seattle."

Chloe gave Max's shoulder a squeeze. "Fuck that. You were alone then. Now, you got me, Kate, even that screwball Warren. People here have your back, Max."

Max released a tense breath, and popped open the passenger side door. Without saying a word, she leaned in for a chaste, yet heartfelt kiss, which Chloe returned with more exuberance than she had expected. Smiling, Max broke the contact, and slid out of the vehicle, giving Chloe a lingering gaze. Then, with a small gulp, she started up the steps.  With no small amount of trepidation she entered the school. She noticed that Chloe's truck remained stopped where it was, all the way up until the doors shut behind her. It was another busy morning in the halls, students milling about in the half hour before classes were scheduled to start. Immediately, the stares from a group of kids she didn't recognize bore into her. One of the lifted a finger in her direction, and the group chuckled. Reshuffling her bag, Max focused her eyes on the floor, and started towards the drama room.

"Please, place all props and costumes on the table here," Mr. Keaton pronounced. Mercifully, only a few students were in the drama room, and none of them were Dana or Victoria. Hoping to minimize her time in Mr. Keaton's presence, Max immediately made her way to the table, placing her folded costume on its surface. Behind her, she heard a coughing noise.

"Max. I trust you've recovered from your... incident?" Mr. Keaton spoke at Max's back, his tone flat. Max slowly turned around.

"I've returned the costume, Mr. Keaton."

"Yes, of course. And I suppose you'll be wanting this back." He dug his hand into a pocket, revealing Max's phone in an outstretched hand.

"Th-thanks, Mr. Keaton."

"Yes. Well. Despite yesterday's... setbacks... everything went quite well." Turning to face the other students, he said, "You all did quite well, and I'm very proud." He then returned his attention to Max. "If there's nothing else...?"

_Gee, thanks. Salt? Meet wound. Well, at least that's done. Goodbye Mr. Keaton. May we never speak again._

Max nodded, and turned to leave the room. As the door shut behind her, she could swear she heard giggling from inside.

_Okay. First hurdle cleared. Time for a timeout while I catch up with my phone._

A few minutes later found Max huddled in one of the bathroom stalls, door locked, and eyes glued to her phone's screen. As she had predicted, a host of messages awaited consumption and they covered a whole spectrum of predictable attitudes, ranging from concerned to outright mean. Ignoring messages from unknown numbers, and obvious taunts from Victoria and her crew, Max went straight for Kate and Warren.

Kate had sent several throughout the evening, her tone growing gradually more and more worried. _Shit, that's right. Chloe never exchanged numbers with Kate or Warren, so she really didn't have any way to contact me. Bad Max!_ _Well, time to apologize..._

 **Max:** Kate, I'm so sorry, I only just got my phone back from keaton

A few seconds passed, and Max idly thumbed the air.

 **Kate:** max! you're ok! we were all so worried!

 **Max:** I know, I know, total jerk move on my part. I should've gotten in touch

 **Kate:** just happy you're alright. Did you come to school today?

 **Max:** Yeah, despite my better judgement :/

 **Kate:** let's meet for lunch, okay? And, Max? People are saying some strange things. Just... be strong, OK?

 **Max:** I can imagine. And don't worry, i'll be fine.

Next, Max looked over several worried messages from Warren. Already feeling better from her conversation with Kate, Max kept the conversation short, letting him know she was okay, with a promise to hang out soon. Then, she bit her lip--it was time to tackle the remaining texts. She started with Dana's.

 **Dana:** Max? Just wanted to let you know everything went ok after u left. Vic totally stole ur thunder, girl :(

Shaking her head, Max moved onto a message from Victoria. To her surprise, it wasn't text, but rather, an image. Victoria stood in the foreground, her camera arm outstretched to raise the phone above her. In the background were jubilant looking actors, all having a great time.

_Must be from the after party? Gee, thanks, Victoria._

An unrecognized number caught her eye. The message read "Awesome job, loser. No one bought your little self-pity stunt. Looking forward to seeing more of the 'real-maxine' Victoria keeps yapping about."

_Gotta be Nathan. Jerk._

"I _know_ , right?" Max's attention jerked up, and she felt her blood pressure increase as familiar voices filled the bathroom. Instinctively, she raised her feet up to the seat, hiding her presence from the newcomers.

"Well," Max recognized the voice. Julia. "I mean, I feel bad for Max and all, but talk about a good piece. Going to have plenty to write about for next week's paper. _Student collapses during school play. Friends claim PTSD, but old acquaintances shed new light on Maxine's true_ _character._ Hmm. The title's a work in progress. A bit wordy at the moment."

"She used to pull crap like that all the time back in Seattle," Courtney claimed. _Gee, thanks Courtney. So much for our flowering friendship..._

A brief silence ensued. "I thought you and Max were buddies now?" Julia asked.

"Ha! As if!" Max could hear the small bit of desperation in Courtney's voice. It was clear she wanted to distance herself.

"I keep hearing rumors about how Max was involved with that Jacob kid...? "

Courtney snorted. "Apparently there was drama between her family and his. I never got the full details, but something about her being a little bitch to a family friend."

Another small silence. Max could tell Julia was hanging on every word.

"And? What else?"

Courtney huffed, sounding a little uncomfortable. "I don't really know. Jacob tried to play some mind games with Max, just to fuck with her. But she wouldn't engage--just went all super stoic. Drove Victoria crazy though. I'll admit, things got a little out of hand towards the end. But I'm certain Max brought it on herself. Don't buy her _I'm so innocent_ routine."

"Funny, it's like you're describing a different person. I mean, you've seen Max at school here--most everyone seems to like her. Though, people have been saying that she's been weird for the past week. Then there's her meltdown on stage last night."

"Right there with you, Julia. Guess she's done pretending?"

"So you don't know anything else about Max's relationship to the Landhausers?"

"Just the cliffnotes," Courtney replied. The tone of her voice was tinged with annoyance. "That the family friend--right, it was her uncle--was found dead about a year ago. Down here in Arcadia Bay, of all places. Then she had the gall to testify against his character in court. Said some pretty nasty lies, according to Victoria."

"Any idea why was she called in to testify?" Julia had gotten a bite, and apparently, had no interest in letting it go.

Courtney sighed again, clearly irritated at Julia's persistence. "Some DA brought charges against Jacob's dad. Eric, I think. I don't know the details, but it involved both Eric and Max's uncle. I guess the case is ongoing. Something involving a dead girl. Rachel Amber, I think"

There was a brief pause, silence filing the room. "Interesting," was all Julia said in reply.

"Really, Julia, that's all I know. And I didn't ask to be interviewed."

"Right. Sorry. You know me..." Julia trailed off.

_God. Should I just keep hiding, until they leave? Or let them know I'm here? I hate this. With my rewind, I could just pick the best way forward... I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn't expect to run into a situation this quickly!_

Before Max could arrive at a decision, she heard the bathroom door open once more. A familiar voice followed. "Ladies," Victoria ascertained. "Anyone seen last night's trainwreck? Heard she already hit up the drama room."

"N-no, Victoria." Courtney quickly replied. Victoria scoffed.

"Well, Keaton said he returned her phone. So let's give her a warm welcome, shall we?"

Moments later, Max's phone emitted a loud jingle, indicating the receipt of a text. _FUCK. Stupid, stupid! You didn't set it on silent. Idiot!_ Without thinking, she raised her hand, trying to take back her mistake. But instead of traveling back in time, the maniacal laughing of Calvin filled her head. _God. Right. No takebacks anymore, dumbass._

After a second of silence, Max heard footsteps, and then saw a pair of expensive looking boots at the base of the stall's door. She squeezed her arms tighter around her legs, faced buried between them.

"We know you're in there, Maxine," Victoria said.

"God, she was listening the whole time," Julia remarked.

"See? _This_ sort of shit is what I was talking about," Courtney affirmed.

"Maxine. I just wanted to give you my thanks. Really, I can't see how things could've gone better. Last night was simply _wonderful._ And now, everyone is in their rightful place. Fitting, that you're cowering in a fucking bathroom stall. Maybe tomorrow you can grace us with some more of your fetish dairy entries?"

"Say what?" Julia asked.

"Oh, don't get me started," Victoria scoffed. "I've been keeping things on the _dee-ell_ for a while now about little Maxine here. I mean, fresh starts, and all? But after yesterday, I think everyone deserves to know the _truth_. About how this lying bitch ruined lives. You might've gotten away with it, but there's no way you weren't involved _somehow_ with what happened to Calvin. In fact, let's start at the beginning, shall we? Making life hell for an upstanding member of our community. A police officer, no less. I know you  _wanted_ that sick shit you wrote in your journal, but to actually make false accusations? Not surprising you rejected Jacob's mock offer. He was just going to fuck with you anyway. But when you declined, idiot that you are, it presented a nice excuse to take you down a notch. That _was_ fun, wasn't it, Maxine?"

Memories of Victoria's torture campaign swirled back into focus. The notes, the taunting, the public humiliation. Max felt her blood pressure rising.

"That bitch you're with now, she might've given your fragile little ego a confidence boost. It's great to see that it's finally wearing off. Things not going well between you to, maybe? Not surprising. I'm shocked she's put up with you as long as she has. So where were we? Ah, right. One day you just fucking _run away_. And a few weeks later Calvin turns up dead. Some coincidence, there. Then these outrageous charges against Jacob's dad. Don't tell me you're not behind it, we're not stupid. Can't you see this bullshit you pull is _hurting_ people? Jesus, Max, don't you even _care?_ "

Max felt a switch flip in her head. In a moment she was out of the stall, standing as tall as should could against Victoria's superior height. She wore a satisfied smirk, like she had already pinned her prey. Without further thought, Max opened her mouth to speak. And no words came.

 _God, god_ damnit _. I... all this time, I relied on my rewind. I haven't changed at_ all _. Still have butter-for-brains. I can't... I just need to get away. Screw... screw all this..._

Suddenly feeling unsure of herself, Max took a step back, causing Victoria's grin to widen even further. Julia and Courtney stood to the side, observing the interaction with intense interest. Gulping, Max decided on a course of action.

_Chloe. Screw Blackwell._

Without a word, Max turned to her right, and started towards the door. The action caused an immediate scoff from Victoria, who no doubt expected _some_ sort of retort.

"Hey!" Max heard, behind her. She ignored Victoria's protest and continued towards the door.

"Don't you dare walk away from _me_ , Maxine."

The next few seconds happened so quickly, Max had trouble recollecting the exact order of events. She reached the door, but felt a harsh shove on her shoulders. The force knocked her off balance, her face slamming into the door, pressing it forward. She stumbled out into Blackwell's halls, landing on the ground, hitting her side with a small "thud."

"Hey! What's going on here?" David Madsen approached the situation in a small jog, pausing to kneel beside Max. His attention switched between her and Victoria, who was standing in the middle of the bathroom door's frame, arms crossed.

"She tripped," Victoria stated.

"Is that right?" David didn't sound convinced. "Look, I'm sorry Max, but I can see what's happening here. The both of you, to the Principal's office. Now."

Victoria gasped. "How dare you?"

"I'm not an idiot, Victoria," David shot back. "I can recognize bullying when I see it. Get moving. _Now_."

When Victoria huffed, but started walking towards Well's office, David turned his attention back to Max. He stretched out a hand, which Max took, and hoisted her back upright. "You okay, Max?"

"Th-thanks, David. Yeah. Really, it's--it's nothing..."

"I see what's happening, Max. And we're putting a stop to it, right now."

"David, I'm not sure if bringing Principal Wells into this is a good idea..."

* * *

_I hate being right._

Max and Victoria sat, nervously, facing Well's desk. The principal himself sat in his luxurious chair. His gaze shifted between the two of them while resting his head atop two embraced hands.

"You are both young adults, and you both know this sort of behavior is not acceptable within the halls of an Academy. Blackwell prides itself on achievement and discipline, not petty squabbles. Now, Max, I understand the past few days have been rough. Your teachers have reported some... unseemly... changes in behavior."

"Principal Wells," Max started, "I... it's not like that. I know it's been an off week for me."

Victoria chuckled. "More the opposite, I'd say. Principal Wells, Maxine here is simply showing us her true colors. She always had... issues, at our school, back in Seattle. And it's clear the company she keeps is having a, well, _adverse_ effect on her performance."

"Chloe has nothing to do with this," David interjected.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Madsen," Victoria refuted, "but everyone knows your step daughter is a bad influence. And it's clearly showing."

Ignoring Victoria, David turned his attention to Wells. "Mr. Wells, I caught Victoria bullying Max. She outright pushed Max onto the floor."

Victoria gasped. "How dare you? Max _tripped_ , Mr. Madsen. I had nothing to do with it."

All eyes turned towards Max, and she wilted in her seat. _David, I know you wanted to make things right, but... this isn't helping._

"I... Victoria... I just wanted to leave, and she pushed me."

"Max," Principal Wells started, "are you saying Victoria inflicted physical violence against you? This is a serious accusation." His tone was as grave as Max had ever heard it.

"This is insane!" Victoria pouted. "Mr. Madsen didn't actually see what happened. He just jumped to conclusions. It's literally my word against hers. This isn't fair!"

"These things rarely are, Ms. Chase," Principal Wells countered. He rubbed both temples with his hands, and stood up, facing the window, hands clasped behind his back.

"Listen, Mr. Wells. I swear, I nothing happened. We were in the bathroom, and realized Max was hiding in a stall. We were concerned, and confronted her about it. When she came out, she looked... I don't know, buzzed? Then she stumbled out the door."

Victoria gave her confession her best pleading voice. Mr. Wells turned around, his face filled with concern. "Is this true Max? Are you using drugs on school grounds?"

"N-no! No way, Mr. Wells."

"Perhaps, if you're telling the truth, you'd be willing to show us the contents of your bag?"

_Excuse me? Invasion of privacy much? Not that I have anything to hide. But, still! What... what should I do? What'll happen if I refuse?  
_

"Mr. Wells, this is crazy. I haven't _done_ anything."

"That's a refusal, then?"

Max froze, unable to process Principal Well's insistence. After a short second, he sighed. "Max, I'm aware of the good impression you've made here, with both students and teachers alike. But I am sad to say that over the past week, many of your teachers have been expressing concern about your performance. And then there's last night's fiasco. These events, combined with Victoria's statement, all point to one thing. I am sorry about this, Ms. Caulfield, but until we can get this situation sorted out, I'm afraid I'm going to have to place you on temporary suspension."

_W-what? Are you fucking kidding me?_

Victoria, for her part, just smirked.

"Now, hold up for just one minute here," David interrupted. " _Max_ is the victim."

"Mr. Madsen, you _are_ our head of security, correct? If that's still the case, would you please escort Ms. Caulfied off campus?"

David opened and shut his mouth several times before giving Max a helpless look. _Poor David. I know you only wanted to help. No way you could've known how this would turn out. If only I still had my rewind, I... I could fix this..._

Not wanting to exacerbate the situation further, Max rose to her feet. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Wells. I'll show myself out."

Mr. Wells nodded, and Max turned to leave. Behind her, she heard David call out her name, albeit softly, his voice tinged with guilt.

 _This is crazy. Mr. Wells thinks I'm an_ addict? _As if! Even after a year with Chloe I still haven't taken a single puff of weed. Unless you count second hand smoke. Still, I can't believe I played so easily into Victoria's hand. Is this who I really am, without my power? I feel so helpless. At least I can bail on this horrible day.  
_

After pushing her way out the building's front entrance, she wasted no time in texting Chloe.

 **Max:** Insane day, and classes haven't even started. Can I get a ride home?

 **Chloe:** i am the wind. be there in 10

Sighing, Max walked to the front of Blackwell's courtyard, sitting down on the concrete riser above the sidewalk, letting her legs dangle off the side. To her right, some skateboarders practiced their flips, enjoying the warm weather. _Right. Like they're not stoned off their asses right now_. _Why did Mr. Wells side with Victoria so quickly? Her parents donors or something?_

The remainder of the wait passed uneventfully, Max trying as hard as she could to keep from dwelling on the events of the past hour. Despite the situation being over, her nerves _still_ felt shot. And the anger from the _unfairness_ of it all still boiled underneath her skin. Finally, Chloe's truck appeared around the corner, roaring its way up to where Max was positioned.

* * *

"You're shitting me. Suspended?"

"Without pay," Max joked. "It all happened so fast, Chloe. I'm, it," Max had to pause, trying to control a convulsion of tears that threatened their way to the surface. "It's so hard, without my rewind. Everything that happened. It would've been... _so simple_ if I had my power."

Chloe gave Max a concerned look before returning her attention to the road. "Mr. Wells is a prick with a stick and a hard on for waving it around. I can't believe David thought he would be able to help."

"David was just trying to do what he thought was right, Chloe. He was as shocked as me at how things turned out."

Chloe chewed on Max's statement for a few seconds before replying. "Still. Should've known better. You're okay, though? Bitch-toria didn't hurt you?"

"I'm not geriatric just yet, Chloe. I can take a fall or two." Max's shoulder _did_ still smart from the hit it took, though.

"Fuck. Screw all these assholes. " Chloe turned her head to face Max again, her gaze fierce. "When we get home? You, me, bed. Lots of screaming. No arguments, alright?"

Despite her shitty day, Max couldn't help but giggle. "With that romance? How could I refuse."

"Damn straight."

The remainder of the trip passed in relative silence, Max resting her eyes as Chloe drove the short distance home. 

"The fuck?"

Max startled forward, curious to see what had drawn Chloe's attention. They were just outside their home, but a car was already parked the driveway. A dark blue Subaru. For the second time that day, Max felt her heart rate increase. _That car. It... it can't be. No way._

"Who the hell parks in someone's driveway?" Chloe asked, clearly irritated at having her spot stolen. Frustrated, she parked the car along an open spot on the street.

_This isn't happening. It can't be her. No fucking way._

"Max? Earth to Max."

"Wha, I, right. I--it's nothing. Come on, let's see who it is?"

Chloe grunted as she vaulted from the truck. They both quickly made their way to the front door, Chloe swinging it open and plunging down the hallway, eager to see who had the audacity to claim her spot in the driveway. Chest filling with trepidation, Max followed in her wake.

"Hello?" Chloe asked, looking at a person out of sight, who must be seated at the table.

"Chloe!" Max heard Joyce say. "Is Max with you? We have a visitor."

Her stomach turning, Max traversed the remaining steps, bumping up against Chloe's side as she turned to face the table. There, staring back at her, sat a woman, whose hands were clasped around a steaming mug of coffee. Joyce sat at the table as well, her eyes shifting expectantly between all parties present. Max gulped. Without words, the guest rose to her feet, her arms outstretched.

"Maxine. I'm... I'm so sorry."

"... Mom?"


	11. New Beginnings

For a long few moments, the only sound heard inside the Price household was the light chirp of a bird that had taken up residence on a nearby window sill. Its blue wings fluttered as it gave the room's occupants a hurried look, before quickly taking off to sights unseen. Max, too stunned to move, returned focus to her mother, who remained seated. Within a second Vanessa lowered her eyes back to the table, her hands tightening their clasp around the mug of coffee between them.

Joyce cleared her throat, slowly rising to her feet. "Max, I... want you to keep an open mind. Vanessa has been filling me in on some changes in her life, and, well, I think you should at least hear her out."

"Hear her out?" Chloe leaned both hands onto the chair in front of her, gripping its back tightly. Anger flowed into her voice. "Are you fucking kidding me? She needs to leave. Now. You _know_ what she let happen, right?"

Vanessa didn't respond, instead raising her eyes to look at Max once more. They had a pleading look in them. But Max didn't get a chance to respond--Chloe wasn't finished.

"I can't believe you didn't slam the door in her face! Did you plan this?"

"Chloe! Calm yourself!" Max shifted uncomfortably at the edge of tension in Joyce's reply. She placed hands on the table, as if to calm herself. "We're not ambushing you, Chloe. Vanessa showed up shortly after you left to get Max."

"Fucking convenient," Chloe muttered.

"Both of you, please," Max interrupted, taking a step forward and placing a hand on Chloe's arm. She took in a deep breath, and considered how to proceed.

 _It's been more than a year! And she just shows up, out of the blue? No emails, text, calls. Nothing. Not that I cared. I ran away for a fucking_ reason _. Still, what's she thinking? She does look different..._

Now that it had been a minute, Max could discern some subtle changes in her mother's demeanor. She looked... healthier. Like she had gotten herself cleaned up.

 _She looks more like Mom from childhood. Not the washed up hung over-every-other-day parent I remember ditching a year ago with Chloe. Has she changed? Does she regret... not believing me? Calling me a liar? No way she didn't hear every word of my testimony. For all the good_ that's _done.  
_

A flood of contradictory emotions raced through her mind, battling each other like interlocked serpents hell bent on each other's annihilation. On the one hand, there were all the fucked up moments when life got truly dark. Speaking to Vanessa about the abuse, and being called a liar. Being ditched, alone with Calvin, on Christmas eve, to go party with friends. But then... she _was_ her mother. Max also remembered a much brighter time, particularly from when both parents were still alive, and they lived in Arcadia Bay. It would be a lie to say she didn't want _that_ mom back.

 _If I weren't eighteen, I'd say this was a trick. Some sort of ploy to take back custody? Couldn't imagine why though. She's seemed plenty happy to be free of me. But I'm an_ adult _now. What could she hope to gain here? Besides trying to make things right? God, it makes me sick, but I need to at least hear her out. What if she really does feel guilty, and wants to make amends? But even if that was true, could I forgive her? I don't know...  
_

Max cleared her throat. "M-mom."

Vanessa pushed her chair back, and slowly rose to her feet. She still had trouble maintaining eye contact.

"Max," Chloe leaned in close to say, "You hella don't need to even speak to this witch. I'll throw her out, just say the word."

Max shook her head, silently dismissing Chloe's offer. "Mom, it's a long drive from Seattle to Arcadia Bay. You came here for a reason."

"Maxin-" Vanessa caught herself half way through Max's full name. "Max. I--I knew I needed to do this in person. Listen, life over the past year, has been, it's been tough, honey. But I've had some guardian angels, and I want to make things right. The way I treated you... it's inexcusable. I should've been able to see what was going on under my own roof. But... after your father's death, I just wanted to drown myself. I see that now. And I didn't want to believe you. Because it would've been too difficult. God, honey, I'm... I'm so sorry." In her last sentence, Vanessa, lost control, and began sobbing, slinking back into her chair. Joyce placed a hand lightly on her shoulder, trying to give some form of comfort.

Max, for her part, remained positioned in place, the shock of it all denying any movement. _Is this real? She just admitted she was wrong! Could... could I get Mom back? I can't be hasty here. Chloe's point still stands. No way she just waltzes back into my life, after what she did!_

"Mom, th-thank you. For that. Those words, they--mean a lot. But, Mom?" Vanessa perked up, instantly, edging to the side of her seat, hedged on Max's every word. "I might be able to forgive you, but can't just _forget._ There is a _long_ road between you and me having anything resembling a functional relationship."

"But there is a path?" Vanessa replied, her words barely above a whisper.

"I... Mom... I don't know," was all Max could manage.

"Let me help, then," Chloe interjected after chewing her lip. She slammed a hand onto the tabletop, grabbing everyone's attention. "Alcoholic? Check. Abusive? Check. Irresponsible as _fuck?_ Check. Max," she questioned, turning her head to face her girlfriend, "so _what_ if she feels guilty about the horrible ass shit she's done? It doesn't change anything! And it doesn't mean she's _changed_ at all." Chloe swiveled her head to face Vanessa, craning her neck in close. "Oh boo _hoo,_ cry me a river, you feel bad. Of _course_ you do! You're a fucking _horrible_ person and you _deserve_ to feel bad! You don't get to just prostrate yourself like this and get Max back! Are you fucking serious?"

"Chloe Price!" Joyce shouted, her anger causing Chloe to take a step back. "Flawed though she may be, this is Max's _mother_ , who just drove _four hours_ to apologize in person to her daughter, and you _will_ show a semblance of decorum!"

"Everyone! Please... just, please," Max pleaded. When silence again returned to the room, she continued. "Mom, I do appreciate this. I really do. But you have a lot of proving to do."

"I've been trying, Max!" The desperation in Vanessa's voice was palpable. "Really! I'm eight months sober," she claimed, while removing some alcoholic anonymous from her purse and placing them onto the table. "Max, ever since... well, _everything_ , I've been doing a lot of soul searching. Trying to find where--where everything went wrong. And I realized it's _me_. I'm the one that ran away, who threw out my responsibilities as a parent. Who ignored the cries of her _own child_ ," Vanessa began choking up again, causing Joyce to give another concerned look.

_Fuck. All this time, she's been trying to get her act together? But... will she take the final step?_

"Mom," Max said, her words strong. She took a step towards the table, her eyes never leaving Vanessa. "If this is true, do acknowledge what your brother did?"

At those words, an eerie silence hung. Everyone in the room seemed frozen, hung on Vanessa's inevitable reply.

"I'll never be able to forgive myself, Max. You tried to tell me. But I blinded myself. I didn't want to believe you... it was just too easy not to..."

_Wowsers. Okay. Did not expect that._

"Don't tell me you're buying any of this bullshit, Max," Chloe pressed. But her tone was uncertain.

"Chloe..." Max trailed off. Another uncertain, uncomfortable silence filled the room. Finally, Vanessa broke it.

"Max, I have... I have some things of yours in my car. Valuables you left in Seattle. Please, at least let me return them. Then, I swear. I'll be out of your hair. I've already rented a motel room in town "--she waved off Joyce's immediate protest to offer the guest bedroom--"so, just, please. An offer in good faith."

_It would be nice to have some of my things back. I wonder... did she bring Captain Teddy?_

"Listen, please, I'll leave you all... to have a moment for yourselves. I'll run out to the car and start getting things ready."

Max nodded, and Vanessa, with a smile, took her leave from the room. When she stepped out the front door, everyone seemed to release a breath of relief.

"This is fucked, Max," Chloe stated without hesitation.

"I know," Max acquiesced. "But, if she really does regret everything, and wants to work at making amends, shouldn't I at least give her a chance? I mean... she is... she is my _Mom_."

Joyce nodded at Max's retort, folding both arms across her chest. "Chloe, I completely understand how you feel," Joyce said. "I'm no fool--I get it. I do. But you need to let this one play out between Max and her mother."

Chloe grumbled something inaudible, beneath her breath. Max just wrapped both her arms around Chloe, pulling her in tight. "Nothing is going to happen, Chloe. This doesn't _change_ anything." Chloe relaxed in Max's arms, leaning in for support.

"I know, Max. I just... fuck. This fucking day."

"I hear you Chloe. I hear you. Hey, at least I got my phone back, right?"

Chloe half sobbed, half laughed in reply.

* * *

A few minutes later, and Max was helping Vanessa carry boxes of goods up the stairs. Chloe had retreated to the backyard to have a smoke. "I just need to cool down a notch," she had explained. Max understood.

 _Chloe cares about me so much. I totally get it. I'll bet what she actually_  said _during that confrontation was only the tip of the iceberg. She could probably yell at Mom for hours, without ever repeating herself._

Max nearly tripped on the top step. The box she was carrying was a little heavy, and made the footing in front of her invisible. Correcting herself, Max pressed forward, opening the door to their room and walking inside. She desperately searched for a place to set the box--it was getting heavy. Their room was unfortunately unkempt. Max felt a involuntary twinge of guilt at her Mom seeing the mess sprawled about the floor.

_What crap timing. I mean, I usually like things somewhat neat. But I've had a lot on my mind over the past few days. Chloe too. I guess we've been letting the mess accrue._

Frustrated, Max pushed aside some clothes and set the box to rest, pausing to stretch out a kink that had formed in her back. Behind her, she heard Vanessa enter. "So this is your room?" she asked, looking about.

"Sorry for the state of it. It's been a rough couple of days," Max replied.

"Oh, honey," Vanessa said. Still carrying her mug of coffee, she took a step towards Max, but her foot landed on one of Chloe's stray boots. She careened off balance, and within moments Max's face and shirt were both drenched with coffee. Fortunately, it had cooled to a lukewarm temperature.

"Max, oh god, I'm so sorry," Vanessa apologized, flustered. She immediately grabbed a handkerchief from a pocket and began doting on Max's face. Disgruntled, Max pushed away, putting some space between them.

 _Sorry Mom. You don't get to effectively abandon me for years and then just_ mother _me again._

"It's fine, Mom. Just, I'll be a moment, okay?" Max grabbed a spare shirt off the ground, one that looked like something resembling clean, and headed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Despite the mess, she was glad for another moment of solitude.

 _This is so crazy. Am_ I _crazy? For wanting Mom back? Can I really forgive her, or am I just kidding myself?_

Max stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long moment before turning on the water. A few splashes and a towel later, she changed into her spare shirt, and closed her eyes, resting her back against the closed bathroom door.

_I just need a break from all this insane shit. But the hits seem to keep coming. Is this karma? The universe coming to collect, for all the times I messed with it?_

Shaking her head, Max started opened the door and stepped back into the upstairs hallway, heading back towards her room. Not half way there, she head a "click," like the sound of a photo being taken from a phone camera.

_A picture? What?_

Hastening, Max nudged open the half-closed door to her room and found Vanessa correcting her posture, as if she had just been leaning over, and shoving what _looked_ like a phone back into her pocket. She stood near the closet.

_Hold a tick. Was she... snooping?_

"Mom? What, what the hell? Why are you taking pictures? Don't pretend like you weren't, I heard the sound."

"Pictures? Honey, you're imagining things. Again. Here, please, baby, you still have a spot on your cheek." Vanessa started towards her daughter, again raising the handkerchief.

Annoyance building, Max swatted off Vanessa's attempt. Conviction and doubt reaching an apex, she asked, "Don't play dumb! What the hell was that?"

"Max, dearest. It's... it's been a long day. Maybe I should give you some space."

_I'm sorry, what? You were all hemming and hawing for my affections a minute ago. Now you want to leave?_

"It's not even noon, Mom."

"Listen, honey, I get it. You need to take all this in. Just... give Joyce and Chloe my love, okay?"

"Wait! What?" Max instantly hated herself for the surprise in her voice.

Vanessa ignored Max's confused response, instead turning towards the door and making a quick exit. Bewildered, Max followed in pursuit. But Vanessa was fast. By the time Max reached the door frame, her mother was already half way down the stairs.

"M-Mom?" Again, Max hated herself for allowing the hurt to show in her tone. She had spent a year abhorring her mother. But today's events had given a hope she never dared pursue.

 _Wait. Did... Did I just get played? I... was that all an_ act?!

As if in reply to the thought, she heard the slam of the the Price household's front door. A few moments later, she heard the ignition of a Subaru from the driveway outside, followed the roar of an engine and slamming of brakes. Max slowly came to a stop halfway down the stairs as she listened to her mother's hatchback speed down the street.

"The fuck is going on," Chloe questioned, sliding the back yard door shut behind her. In a daze, Max descended the last few steps, turning to face Chloe, who remained standing by the sliding back door. She wore a confused and worried expression.

"Chloe, I... something's weird."

"Is everything okay, Max?" Joyce asked, worried. "Vanessa just took off! Didn't even say goodbye."

 _What the hell is going on? One minute Mom's groveling at my feet, the next, she's running out the door? And what the hell was that in the bedroom? I swear to god she was up to_ something _._ _It was if she was searching for... Oh shit.  
_

Without another word, Max wheeled about scrambled up the stairs, plunging her way back into their room like a tornado. To her horror, the closet's doors were were slid open. The brief case was completely visible.

_The money. She knows about the money. If she knows... does that mean Eric Landhauser knows?  
_

* * *

"Go on, I'll catch up!"

After the intense and taxing reunion with Vanessa, Max begged Chloe to take them both to a place of solitude. Someplace they could get some respite from the day's insane turbulence. Without hesitation, Chloe ushered Max into the truck and whisked them off to the Arcadia Bay light house. Throughout the drive, Max was so angry she could barely speak. A worried Chloe drove mostly in silence, shooting concerned glances whenever able.

_If Eric knows, what does that mean? Would he actually come after us, in some sort of a Tarantino-esque revenge fury? Given what he's done in alternate timelines, I wouldn't put it past him. Gah! How could I have been so idiotic, to trust Mom like that. Like she would just show up out of the blue, wanting to make peace! And I thought I was being careful... God, instead, I just got played. Again. Is this how things are going to be, from here on out, without my rewind?  
_

Max shuddered at the memory of Calvin on the phone with Eric, receiving the orders to end her life. Ahead of her Chloe took a few uncertain steps up the trail, not wanting to put to much distance between them.

_Fuck. I guess our saving grace is that his murder-machine Calvin is dead. No one to do his dirty work anymore. I hope._

"Max. Come on, you've barely said a word since Vanessa split. What the hell is going on? What happened between you two?"

They were almost to the bench, and the sun still hung high in the sky. Shielding her eyes with a hand, Max sat down, and patted the spot beside her. Chloe quickly took the seat.

"I don't know, Chloe. One moment she was wantoning for my affection, then the next, it's _oh, let me give you space._ Chloe? I... when we got to my room, she hoodwinked me. Got me to give her a few minutes alone, for her to spy around."

Chloe's eyebrows raised, and her lips parted slightly. "You don't think..."

"She snapped a picture, Chloe. She played dumb, but I _heard_ it. When I confronted her, it was as if I had the plague. She couldn't leave fast enough."

Chloe rested her back against the rest, staring up into the sky. Max continued, musing aloud.

"I'm certain she saw the case, Chloe. What did she say, before? When we were downstairs? That some _guardian angel_ helped her?"

"Twenty bucks says there's a name attached to those wings," Chloe replied, dejectedly. "And that it's Eric Landhauser."

"My thoughts exactly," Max sighed. "Chloe, I think, from here on out, we have to assume Eric knows we're behind, well, everything."

Chloe chewed on the thought for a minute. "Even if that's true, fuck him."

"Chloe. He's had you killed. Twice."

"That was when he had Calvin. Plus, he was trying to keep what happened to Rachel a secret. That cat's been out of the bag for a while. For all the good its done us."

Max had checked up on the proceedings of the case the other day. There was another hearing set for next month. Apparently Eric's legal team were experts at gumming up the judicial system. Things still looked good for the prosecution, but it would be a while before Eric saw any repercussions for his actions.

For a few moments the two sat on the bench, letting cool drafts of autumn breeze wind their way between them. Instinctively, Max leaned into Chloe's side, who immediately placed a protective arm around her.

"I fucked up. Again. Chloe, I-"

"Jesus, dude. Don't. Yes, you can't just fix shit anymore. You're a mere mortal like the rest of us. But... that just means we gotta try harder, right? Magic or not, we're still the goddamn pirates of Arcadia Bay, and we're not going to let some fuckass ruin our shit."

Despite herself, Max giggled, snuggling in closer for the warmth. "Yeah. We're going to be okay."

"Well," a voice said, from behind them. "That's one way to look at it."

Both Max and Chloe nearly launched themselves from their seat, startled beyond belief by the presence of another person.

"But me? I've got another perspective." Jacob sighed, lowering his gaze to peer at the ground for a long moment. Standing beside him, wearing his typical sneer, was Nathan Prescott. And he held a gun. Both Max and Chloe leapt to their feed, facing the two, the bench between them.

"You're not an idiot, _Maxine_ , so I won't insult your intelligence," Jacob continued. Wordlessly, Max and Chloe gripped hands, taking small steps back towards the cliff face as Jacob calmly approached closer. "To be sure, I had my doubts about you. My father seemed _so convinced_ you were somehow responsible for a breaking into his office during that barbecue. Damn, that was over a year ago now, right? It must've been something bad, 'cause the old man sent me to this podunk cesspool just to see if I could get you to fess up." Jacob spat on the ground. "Not sure if I'll ever forgive him for that bullshit. But, I'll admit, you always seemed able to slip away. Until recently. Guess everyone's luck runs out eventually, huh?

Max's heart pounded through her chest, and from their hand contact, she could tell Chloe was in the same state. Throughout Jacob's rather _out of character_ monologue, both their attentions remained fixated on the weapon held in Nathan's hand. Fortunately, it remained pointed at the ground. Seeing their nerves, Nathan crossed the weapon over his legs, standing tall. No doubt feeling powerful. His smirk grew larger, if that was even possible.

"But I guess dad had a chicken in the pot. Since your uncle died--which I'm sure you had _nothing_ to do with"--Jacob paused to dramatically roll his eyes--"Dad has done his best to assist a, let's say, _grieving loved one_." Sarcasm dripped from every word. He sighed dramatically. "God knows your fucked up Mom needed it. And with help, comes reliance, comes favors. So here we are. Turns out, Landhauser Senior _isn't_ crazy. You _did_ rob us."

He paused, putting on a mock  _surprised_ expression. "I'm as shocked as you are. Really. So. Here's where things get fun. You see, Maxine, you've always been a bit of a thorn in my side. Even before all this bullshit. My dad bitching about you every day. Getting stupid drunk, throwing things in the house. Scaring my Mom. Constantly worrying about how you're going to screw up his best friend's career. I got fucking sick of it, so yeah, I decided to screw with you. Like you screwed with me. And initially? Gotta say, loved the outcome. Victoria put you in your place, and then you just vanished. Fucking fantastic. But then? I learn you had the goddamn balls to _rob_ us. And then I get sent to this cesspool to deal with it. This is _my fucking life_ you're messing with, Max, so _fuck you_." Jacob ended his rant with a spit on the ground. For the first time, Max saw his face twisted and convoluted with unadulterated rage. She gulped.

Then he laughed. "And then your brilliant performance last night. Truly spectacular. When I saw you crumble to that stage floor, I knew it. That everything was going to be okay from here on out. For weeks you had this, fuck, I don't know. Impenetrable aura? Stupid as that sounds. But you always seemed one step ahead. Then you started slipping, culminating with that epic failure in front of our entire school. And, well, I guess that about sums it up," Jacob finished, taking a moment to collect himself.

"Dad knows the score, same as you. Only thing left is to pay the price." He gave Chloe a look. "Sorry for the pun." Returning his attention to Max, he continued, "Pity you had to bring your little punk into this."

Nathan raised the gun. Instantly, Max's heart plummeted. The gun wasn't pointed at her. But Chloe didn't seem to care. Instead, she turned to Max, collecting her hand with both of hers.

"M-Max," her voice was strong, but Max could hear the fear. "You know I love you more than anything. What happens next... fuck it. I believe in you. You are fucking magic." Their eyes met, and time seemed to stop. Amazingly, Chloe wore a smile on her face.

Nathan pulled the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To any that might've noticed, I accidentally hit the wrong button when starting work on the next chapter. Apologies!


	12. Race to the Max

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thanks to everyone that's been reading and commenting on this! Thanks so much for the feedback.

The road ahead of them rolled ever forward, its boring lines and signs offering little distraction to Chloe's racing mind. Silence filled the cabin, and Chloe took another nervous glance at her passenger. Max was distraught. Angry. Pensive. She held both hands together in her lap and stared into it as if it were an abyss. Chloe had tried conversation a few times, but Max didn't seem up to the task of an intelligible response. So instead, Chloe stuck her attention to the pavement ahead. Max wanted to get away? Chloe already knew where to go. Worried, her foot depressed further on the accelerator petal, hastening their trip to the light house. The truck's engine roared and they sped closer to their destination.

 _Fuck,_ Chloe thought. _What the hell went down between her and Vanessa? Whatever it was, it must've been bad. Max's barely spoken a word since we left. Idiot!_ _Just_ had _to run away for a smoke. Now look. What's with the past few weeks anyway? First the bullshit with Max's powers and the play, and then Vanessa just shows up out of the blue?  
_

Chloe chewed her lip, growing ever more uneasy at the silence between them. "You wanna run her down? We hella could, dude. There's only like three motels in town."

Max grunted, slinking further into her seat. Her attention remained fixed out the passenger side's window.

"Listen, Max, I can't help if you don't-"

On a dime, Chloe's words morphed in to a terrified shriek. One moment Max was sitting there--dejected, looking passively at the passing scenery. The next, she was gone. Vanished into thin air. Chloe instinctively slammed the breaks, causing her truck to careen off the road and onto the curb. She swore as she narrowly avoided a drainage ditch, bringing the vehicle to a stop. It took a full minute before her heart stopped pounding loud enough for her to think clearly.

_Holy shit. Max has her powers back! Only fucking explanation. But how? Why? Why would she use them like that? Surely she would've known the outcome?_

Chloe gulped as the gears in her head turned, and came to the inevitable, logical conclusion.

_I died. Again. Fuck._

Chloe slammed her hands onto the wheel, releasing a simmering fit of rage, directed at herself. After a few seconds, she gained some presence of mind.

_So. Max got her mojo back. Maybe her powers were never really gone? Maybe she just overused them, or something? Fuck. Point is... wait. Phone!_

Chloe whipped out her cell and her eyes widened expectantly while unlocking the screen. There were no new texts. Immediately she fired off a slew of worried, terrified, and confused questions. She waited another full minute for a reply, but none came.

_Get a grip! Max could be in trouble. Alright. We were headed to the lighthouse, so that's where she probably is? Maybe she passed out? Oh god, maybe she's in one of those fucked up visions? And I'm not around to pull her out..._

The truck's engine roared back to life and Chloe did a quick check in her mirrors for oncoming traffic. Deserted, as usual. Except... about fifty yards away. Chloe's eyes squinted, peering closer at her rear view mirror. In it, she could make out a red truck. There were two occupants, and they appeared to be arguing.

_Holy shit. That's Nathan and Jacob. Okay. Let's put this together. Those dipshits are following us. Something happened, and Max busted out her previously-defunct rewind. How close were those jackoffs following us? I was so focused on Max, I didn't even notice them. Did they see her vanish? Should I even try to go to Max, with them on my tail? God, what-  
_

Chloe didn't get a chance to finish the thought. She heard the squeal of rubber on asphalt as Nathan catapulted his flatbed towards hers, pulling up along side her window in under the span of a few seconds. Nathan's passenger window was rolled down, and leaning out of it was Jacob. He was leveling a gun directly at her as their vehicle came to a screeching halt.

_Shit shit shit shit!_

Without considering the outcome, Chloe slammed her gas pedal, and turned hard to the left. The front of her truck collided with Nathan's, and Jacob's shot went wild, hitting some unseen location in the side of Chloe's vehicle. Immediately, smoke began to rise from her hood, and the engine began to falter.

_Seriously? Give me a fucking break!_

But Chloe's forward momentum allowed her to travel down the street a few yards, putting some distance between her and Nathan.

_Okay. Time to level the playing field._

Ducking low to avoid any further bullets, Chloe searched around underneath the seat, desperately scavenging for an item she purchased shortly after returning to Arcadia Bay. A small handgun, obtained from the only pawn shop in town. Chloe flicked the safety off, and checked that it was loaded.

_Sorry Max. I hate keeping secrets, but I know you wouldn't've approved._

Moments later Nathan pulled up alongside for another attempt. This time, Chloe was ready. She pointed the weapon straight at Jacob's head, and was rewarded with bewildered panic. Nathan immediately hit the accelerator, and the two of them flew down the road, pulling a small drift as they rounded a corner.

_Better run, fuckasses. God, but, now what? The truck is toast. For now, at least. It's not much of a walk to the... god damnit. This road dead ends at the lighthouse trailhead. If that's were Max is, and that's where those two were headed..._

Cursing, Chloe flung herself from the seat, and broke into the fastest run she could manage. In one hand she held her gun, in the other, her phone. She clung to both for dear life.

* * *

Almost a half a mile remained between Chloe and the trailhead, which gave her plenty of time to mull over the day's events. Chloe knew she wasn't in the best athletic shape or anything, but the adrenaline a vehicle collision, being shot at, and potentially losing Max, all provisioned a nearly infinite well of energy.

 _I don't even give a fuck. When I find those two shitheads, they're done. Their daddies can fucking bill me. But if they lay_ one goddamn hand _on Max, god fucking help them. How did it even come to this? I should never have encouraged Max to join that stupid play. I_ knew _she just wanted to impress me, and fuck me, I thought it was cute. That it would be good for her. Then I die,_ again _, and everything's gone to shit. Stupid, stupid!_

At last, Chloe turned the final corner and the trailhead's parking lot came into view. Her gut turned upon catching sight of Nathan's truck. There were no occupants.

"M-Max?" Chloe cried out, immediately hating the fear she showed in her yell.

"Don't think she can hear you, bitch," Jacob shouted. He was stepping off the path and onto the parking lot. Between him and Nathan hung an unconscious Max, her arms stretched around both their shoulders. Even from the distance, Chloe could see a dribble of blood from Max's nose. Nathan gave Chloe a wide grin, but frowned upon seeing the gun in her hand. Immediately, Chloe raised the weapon.

"Tsk tsk," Jacob chided, stepping slightly behind Max, encouraging Nathan to do the same. "How good of a shot do you think you are? Willing to bet your little fuck toy on it?"

Chloe ground her teeth, but kept the gun pointed at them. But her finger wavered off the trigger.

 _God_ damnit. _I never really practiced with this thing! Probably have shit for aim. I... I can't risk hurting Max! But I can't just let them walk!  
_

"Listen, bitch. We got what we came for. Back off now, and it'll be over, alright? I mean-" Jacob paused to chuckle-"you can't seriously be _into_ this pale little creep, right? Like, I get that she follows you around like a puppy and all. I do. But let's be real. Taking her off your hands? We're doing you a fucking favor."

Despite the bravado of his words, Chloe could smell fear. She kept the gun raised, though she couldn't prevent the tremble in her arms. The her aim wavered to and fro, earning another worried set of expressions from Nathan and Jacob. In a huddle, they hurried closer to the truck. Keeping Max in front of them as much as possible, Nathan opened the door, and they started to slip into the cabin.

"Stop! Fuckers! I _will_ shoot you! F-fuck!" Chloe spat the words, uncontrolled rage forcing them from her mouth.

But it was too late. Max and Jacob disappeared into the cabin, and the truck went from zero to thirty in moments. And it was headed directly towards her. Cursing, Chloe dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a collision. She rolled, stopped herself, and scrambled back to her feet. But the truck was gone. Only distant sounds of it speeding down the arterial remained.

Chloe dropped the gun, grabbing her hair with both hands. She feel to her knees, screaming.

* * *

"You're not _listening_. Max has been fucking _kidnapped_ , and you're just _sitting there_."

"Ms. Price. I understand you're... under a spell... But you must remember to mind your tongue. Lord knows you haven't gone out of your way to make many friends here."

Chloe grumbled, gripping both sides of the receptionist desk with her hands. The officer she was talking to, _Danica_ , her name tag read, seemed only half focused on Chloe's story of mayhem and kidnapping.

"Listen Chloe," Danica continued, "I'm going to call Joyce, alright? It sounds like you got into an accident. Max probably just wandered home. It happens all the time. And the both of you might need to see a doctor."

Chloe sucked in her breath to release another torrent of venomous words, but Officer Danica was already speaking to Joyce on the other end of the line.

"Yes, hi Joyce. Doing fine, you? Sure, of course. Listen, we've got your daughter down here at the station--what? No, no, she came to _us_ this time. I know. Strange days. Listen, I think something might've happened, and we were curious if Max has come home? No? Okay then, thanks. You too. Bye now."

Danica hung up the phone, and gave Chloe a leveled look. She took out a clipboard and a pen, thumbing its top to push out the point. "Okay then. So. You say you were run off the road, and that Max was kidnapped?"

"Yes! Fucking hell, yes!" Chloe asserted, exasperated. _Jesus, why did I even come here? Then again, where else could I go? I_ have _to find a way help Max._

"Mmmhmm," the officer mused, writing something down on the form. "Did you see the perpetrators?"

"Yes! Jesus, I already told you! It was Nathan Prescott and Jacob Landhauser."

Officer Danica's hand moved to a stop when Chloe said the name _Prescott_. Keeping her face pointed at the form, she raised both eyes to meet Chloe's.

"Chloe. Why on God's green earth would a Prescott kidnap, let's see, yes, _Maxine Caulfield_. You do realize people usually kidnap for a ransom, right? And that Nathan's family is already rich?"

Chloe ran a hand through her hair, taking a moment to calm herself before biting the officer's head off. "Yes, I know how rich the _Prescotts_ are, and how they own everyone and everything. It doesn't change the facts. Nathan fucking _took Max_."

The officer sighed, folding both arms onto the table. "And have you received any messages? Usually, if it's a kidnapping, the kidnapper wants something."

"N-no," Chloe faltered.

"Chloe. Is it possible, and I'm just playing with ideas here, that it wasn't a kidnapping? That Max actually left _with_ Nathan and Jacob? Aren't they both recent arrivals from Seattle?"

Chloe gasped, taking a few steps back from the counter.

"Listen, honey. I know how hard break ups can be. But this story you're weaving--it can have _serious_ consequences."

"Chloe! Long time no see!"

Chloe's attention jerked away to see another officer--O'Conner, she remembered--waving from across the room. It looked like he was on his way out. Chloe grumbled under her breath. O'Conner's smile waned, looking to Danica for answers.

"She's going through a rough patch," Danica explained. "Chloe. Look at me."

Eyes brimmed with anger, Chloe raised her head, meeting Danica's detached expression.

"Girl, I know how it is. Lord knows I do. Listen, I'll get you a ride home, okay? You just need to sleep this one off. O'Conner, can you give Ms. Price here a ride home? She's been through hell."

That tore it. Chloe huffed, stepping back a few paces. The lobby of the police department felt like it was spinning around her, and she raised a hand to her temple to center herself.

"I--Officer. Thanks. Listen, it doesn't matter. I'm fine, just... forget everything I said, okay?"

Danica's eyebrows furrowed, confused by Chloe's sudden change in demeanor. O'Conner just looked confused. But Chloe kept backing her way to towards the exit, and she quickly stumbled her way out the door.

 _Well. Fuck me for trying, right? That whole goddamn stye is bought and paid for by the Prescotts. God DAMNIT. It's been over_ two hours _. Where the hell did they take her? They could be half way to fucking Seattle by now.  
_

Frustrated, Chloe stole another look at her phone. Nothing.

_I don't even have either of those two fuck head's numbers. Who the hell would have them? I doubt Warren, Brooke or Kate would... fuck. There's gotta be someone at Blackhell who'll cough it up. First things first though. We need some insurance.  
_

* * *

"Insurance" found itself in the form of rifling through the mess that had become her and Max's room. Chloe regretted taking the detour, adding a whole hour between her and her next lead, but the uneasy certainty that they would need an ace up their sleeve had grown as time passed.

"Shit," she swore under her breath. "Just took the damn thing yesterday. Where the fuck did she _put_ it?"

"Chloe?!" Joyce was still downstairs, but had apparently heard Chloe storm in. It was the third time Joyce had called her name, and like the first two, Chloe opted not to reply. Her heart was pounding, and one hundred of percent of her attention remained focused on the current objective.

_Right. Her journal. God bless that hipster soul.  
_

Max's journal laid hidden under a shirt and coffee mug on top of Chloe's desk. Swatting them aside, Chloe crashed onto the nearby chair and hurriedly looked through the journal's last few entries. She gasped a sigh of relief upon finding a photo she had taken of Max, just yesterday, before leaving for the play. She remembered the moment--they were alone in their room, and Chloe was helping Max into her costume.

A salty tear formed in Chloe's eye as she stared into the photo. Max was winking at the camera, holding up her arm with her fingers forming a peace sign. She looked so happy. Wiping her cheek clean, Chloe snatched the photo off the page and stuffed it into a pocket. Halfway down the stairs, Joyce appeared at their base, her position blocking Chloe's exit.

"Chloe Price. Just what in the heck is going on? First that strange call from the police, now you can't even spare me a word?"

Chloe descended the last few steps, trying to push past Joyce. But her mother remained in place, preventing Chloe's passage. She grunted in frustration, but Joyce simply stared her down.

"M-Mom," Chloe faltered. This was _not_ a conversation she wanted right now. "Fuck it. Nathan and Jacob fucking _kidnapped_ Max, alright? Right in fucking front of me."

"What? Chloe, you're not making any sense."

"I _swear_ , Mom. Listen... there's, there's some things about Max. About our time in Seattle a year ago. That you don't know about. Bad shit. I mean, good, it brought us together, but. Consequences." Chloe stopped--she knew she had begun to ramble. _What the hell am I doing? I can't talk about this shit with Joyce!_

"I think you'd better have a seat, Chloe, and explain all of this." Joyce stepped back, making motions for them to move down the hall.

"Mom, I... I don't have _time_. _Max_ doesn't have time. This is serious! I even went to the goddamn cops! Fucking waste of effort..."

Joyce looked like she was about to say something, but instead remained quiet. Her expression grew saddened. "Chloe, what on earth are you on about? It doesn't have anything to do with what happened with Vanessa, does it?"

Chloe shut her eyes, drawing in a breath. "Too much of a coincidence not to. Listen, I know you just want to help. Both me _and_ Max. But right now, fuck, every minute counts. I have to go. _Now._ "

Joyce slowly raised her hands, taking another step back. "If what you're saying is true... then Max is in danger?"

"Gee, thanks for catching up," Chloe jibed, moving for the door.

"I can call David. He can help, Chloe. He'll believe you."

Chloe paused. Her gut instinct was a hard _no_ , but over the past year David had proved again and again that he had a whole other side to him. One that actually cared about both her, and Max. Plus, it might not be the worse thing to have back up. David was probably a better shot than her, anyway.

"I'll call him," she replied. "Need to hit up Blackwell anyway."

* * *

Chloe hadn't taken two steps out the door before her phone buzzed. Nearly chucking the device from her hands in a panicked effort to check its screen, her heart sank--the text wasn't from Max. Instead, an unknown number. Chloe's eyes furrowed and she came to a complete halt. She opened the texts.

 **< Unknown>:** bring what you took and come to american rust. it's a junkyard just outside town

 **< Unknown>:** do NOT bring anyone with you, or you know what happens

_Fucker. I know where American Rust is, you piece of shit. And thanks for your number. Saved me a trip. Shit, sorry David. Looks like you're gonna have to sit this one out. But, how the hell am I going to get to American Rust without wheels?_

Immediately, her eyes drifted to Joyce's sedan, parked on the street. Feeling guilty, Chloe re-entered the house, quietly this time. She could hear Joyce in the kitchen, washing dishes. Chloe nimbly stepped over a squeaky board in the entryway, and snatched the car's spare key.

_Sorry mom. But Max comes first. Wait, though--shit. I should get the money. If this is going to go down like I think, then I might need to buy time. And playing into their little game couldn't hurt._

So Chloe began a quiet ascent to her room, taking care to pause whenever Joyce turned off the kitchen sink faucet.

_Stupid. If Max winds up using the photo, then none of this matters, right?_

On that thought, she broke out into a run, tearing into her room and pulling the suitcase from its home in the closet.

_I think I'm finally starting to agree with Max. This money? Worst idea ever. Way more trouble than it was worth. I... I hope... "other me" can come to the same conclusion._

Chloe gulped, opting to ignore the existential implications of Max's power. It was something she had gotten good at. Within moments she was back downstairs, suitcase in hand, keys in the other. Joyce appeared in the hallway and gave her a surprised look.

"Honey, what happened to calling David?"

"S-sorry, Mom," was all Chloe could manage. She left Joyce's confused questions behind her as she threw herself into the front yard, into her mother's car, and down the street, driving towards a place she knew all too well. While in motion, Chloe got a chance to think things through, and imagine how things might go down when she reached Max.

_I'm walking into a trap. They don't give two shits about the money--that's just some false hope bullshit. So, what? Try my luck, and kill them both? Only ever saw the one gun. Or, play it cool and get close to Max. The money should help with that. Max just needs the photo within vision. Fuck it, let's go with "both."_

With that thought Chloe settled onto a plan of action. A fuzzy notion of how to proceed became concrete thoughts, precipitating into discrete events. By the time her car was pulling up along side Nathan's truck--parked haphazardly at American Rust's entrance--she brimmed with determination and confidence. She didn't need to call, or shout out her presence. She already knew where they would be keeping Max. Chloe swung the suitcase out along side her as she left the car, slamming the its door shut.

_Is she still in one of her episodes? What if she's too far gone? If she's out, and I can't bring her back in time... then this might be it. Fuck._

Chloe began a brisk walk to the concrete shack, which held memories from what felt like an entirely different life. _I'm so sorry, Rachel. I should've been there for you. These assholes may have taken her, but they are_ not _taking Max!_

"Punctual! I like it!" Chloe jumped a little at Jacob's voice. He stood leaning against the shack's entrance. In his fingers he was twirling something. One of Max's bracelets, Chloe realized.

"You _better_ not have laid a _god damn_ hand on--"

"Chloe?"

Chloe's heart somersaulted at hearing Max's voice. Ignoring Jacob, who just stood with a stupid grin as Chloe rushed in, Chloe stopped cold two steps inside. Max was tied to a chair, and behind her, Nathan stood, burying the end of his gun into the back of her head.

"Chloe! It's back! My power! I, fuck, it knocked me out, at the lighthouse! And woke up here! I'm stuck!"

"The hell are you on about, bitch?" Nathan growled, and grabbed a tuft of Max's hair, forcing her neck back.

"Don't you _touch her,_ " Chloe screamed, taking a step forward in response.

"Eeeasy, you fucking dyke," Nathan replied. As if to remind her, he twisted the gun into Max's skull, his finger wrapped around the weapon's trigger.

Chloe stopped, gulping, and set the briefcase down on the ground. Her gun remained safely holstered on her waist, hidden from view. Neither boy seemed to notice its presence.

"You got what you wanted," she began, pointing at the money. "Now. Please, just, let's all just walk away."

Chloe heard a laugh from behind. Nathan just smiled, shaking his head.

"We both know you're not that stupid," Jacob answered. "Hell, I'm honestly surprised you even came. Heard you went to the cops. Bad idea." Jacob chuckled, making _tsking_ sounds.

_Well, guess it was worth a shot. Didn't really expect that to work._

"A-alright. I get it. Just, please. Before-" Chloe gulped, feigning a nervousness she actually felt-"you do what you have to do... Can we have a last moment?"

Nathan snickered, the sound grating on Chloe's ears. "Let 'em, Jacob. You know I like to see girls get it _oooon_."

Nathan rolled his eyes, but waved his hands in acquiescence.

_Bingo. Sorry fuckers, you lose._

With a careful, even motion, Chloe drew the photo from her pocket, unfolding it, and placing it on the ground at Max's feet. Where she could have a clear look at it. When Chloe raised her head, their eyes met, and for a moment, time seemed to stop. Max wore a forlorn, pleading look. She understood, but wanted any other way than this. Chloe smiled, shaking her head. She moved in for a kiss, while in the same motion drawing her gun. Their lips met. With a grunt, Chloe batted Nathan's gun aside, shoved her own weapon into his chest. Before he could say a word, she pulled the trigger. Nathan's shocked expression was the last he ever made.

" _Fuck,_ " Jacob swore.

But Chloe was fast. She broke contact with Max, and twirled around to face Jacob. Her gun leveled at his head, and she heard another loud sound. Immediately, a warm pressure began to fill her chest. Looking down, she saw red. Everywhere. Spreading into her clothes, out her sleeves, onto the ground. Dizziness took control, and her knees hit the ground. A second later, and she was on her side. With her last ounce of strength she rolled, ensuring that the photo remained visible. As the world grew dark, Max screamed.


	13. Arcadian Angel

For the second time in what seemed as many minutes, Max watched helplessly as blood pooled around Chloe's dying body. An uncontrolled scream left her lips as she struggled fruitlessly against the bindings holding her to the chair. After a few seconds, she gave up, pulling upon every ounce of self control that she had to remain coherent. Vainly, she tried to piece together what happened. It felt just moments ago that she was by the lighthouse, with Chloe. They shot her--and she took it back. But too much? It was uncontrollable, forcing her back and back in time, until her head exploded. Then she was here, in this decrepit shack, captured by the very assholes she tried to save them from.

_S-She got me a photo. God, there's already so much blood on it! H-how long was I out for? How did she even find me? Did they lure her here? Did she know what was going to happen? And where-when am I going back to? Fuck it.  
_

Max didn't leave herself any more time to recollect where or when the photo was taken. She could see herself in it, and that was all the information she needed. Throwing caution to the wind, she gazed into it, trying to remember how this power worked. She had only used it once before. She remembered that it felt automatic--it happened without thinking.

"Well. This is certainly fucked," Jacob complained. "Dad's not going to be happy your girlfriend killed his best friend's son. No tears lost there, though. Bit a creeper if you ask me."

 _If it's one thing I_ will _regret, it'll be undoing Nathan's death. Fucker deserved it._

Max remained silent, shifting her frame as close as she could to the photo, peering into it with all available attention.

Jacob laughed. "I knew you liked photography, but now really isn't the time, Maxine. Suppose I should say something cliché, like _make peace with your god_. But I don't really give a shit. Plus, you don't seem the religious type." Jacob raised the gun. This time it was pointed at Max's head.

As if on cue, Max felt that fundamental _shift_ in reality. Like everything was becoming a dream. The world within the photograph began to feel _real_ , as if it contained its own universe. Uncanny currents began to twist all five senses in an impossible manner. Chloe's voice drifted from the picture, filling Max with hope. She sounded happy, her voice full of excitement and expectation.

_I'm coming, Chloe. For the last time. No way you're dying again._

_And good-bye, asshole. I just wish you could exist to regret this._

Her power took hold, and everything faded to white.

* * *

"Max? You okay? Your face just went hella pale."

Chloe lowered Max's polaroid camera to her chest. Her eyes gave Max a concerned look.

"Dude, I've told you a million times already," Chloe continued. "You don't have shit to be nervous about. Just remember I'll be in-"

Max didn't give her a chance to finish the sentence. " _Chloe,"_ she cried, flinging herself forward. Chloe had to practically drop the camera to catch her. Max allowed herself to go limp against Chloe's chest, letting the taller girl hold her, while she struggled to keep from breaking down into sobs. While she recovered, Max realized she was in her costume.

_That's-that's right. Chloe took a picture just before we left for the play._

A veritable shudder of relief flowed through Max. She had only gone back a day or so. She still didn't know how long she was out for, after unlocking her powers again.

"M-Max? What's... what's going on?" Max knew that voice. Chloe was already figuring it out. Not wanting to waste any more time, Max pulled away, so their eyes could meet.

"Chloe, tomorrow... Nathan and Jacob are going to try to kill us. If--if we don't change things, they'll get away with it! Listen, I--my Mom's going to pay us a visit. But I think she's just a scout for Eric. She's going to find the money, tell him, and than Jacob's going to go fucking ape shit. Chloe, she _can't_ _find_ that money. We have to do something, get it out of the house. I don't care."

Chloe's eyes narrowed a twitch. "Max, we already went over this..."

It was Max's turn for irritation. "I don't _care_ , Chloe. I just--I just watched you get _shot_. _Twice_. I can't do this anymore, Chloe! I can't watch you die, _again_."

That gave Chloe some pause. She sighed, a resigned look falling across her expression. "O-okay, super Max. So... if you're here, from the future, then I guess that means we were wrong about your powers?"

"Only sort of. I'm still not exactly sure. They definitely disappeared when we predicted they would. But, then. Tomorrow. We were up at the lighthouse. They killed you, and, they came back. But it was too much! I... I passed out. Team fuckheads must've gotten to me first. But you were able to get me a photo, before they killed you again."

"I--shit. Okay. So what do we do?"

"First, don't let me go to the play, Chloe. It's going to be a disaster. Call Mr. Keaton and, I don't know. Claim a family emergency. Tell him Victoria will be more than happy to fill in for me. Then, we either get rid of, or seriously hide that money. Where _nobody_ is going to find it. Then... I don't know. I haven't had a chance to _think_ , Chloe. Everything's happened so quickly. I guess, just wait for me to come back? I think it was in the evening that I woke up. Also, be careful! I don't know if other-me will have powers or not. And both Jacob and Nathan aren't just assholes. They're one step away from going full psycho!"

Chloe's lips parted, her eyes full of worry. "Okay. Bail on the play, hide the stash. Old school pirate style. We can do this, Max. I promise: when you get back, I'll be here."

Max tried to stifle a sob, but it broke through anyway. She flung herself once again against Chloe, her arms wrapping around her frame tightly. "You'd fucking better, Chloe."

Max didn't hear Chloe's reply. For a second time, the world began to shimmer and contort, her consciousness slipping away into a swirl of white.

* * *

_The junkyard? Again?_

A burst of raw panic flirted through Max's body upon recognition of her surroundings. Chloe had taken here once or twice, in the past. Apparently it was one of her and Rachel's favorite hangouts. But although the location was the same, the situation was entirely different. Relief replaced panic when Max realized she was standing, not bound to a chair. Her heart leapt when she heard a voice behind her.

"So how much longer do you think it'll be?"

Max spun, slamming herself into Chloe with all her strength.

"Whoa! Ahhh, guess I have my answer?"

Tears falling from her cheek, Max nodded, her head still buried in Chloe's chest.

"Welcome back, Max," Chloe said, after a solid minute had passed. This time, her tone was soft. Relief hung from every word. "I can't imagine what hell you've gone through, but I promise, all that shit is over now."

A banging noise from the concrete shack behind them broke Max from spell of Chloe's comforting words. Hands remaining on Chloe, she pulled back a few inches, concerned.

"Right. So, some crazy shit went down while you were on your time trip. Like you guessed, other-you didn't have any powers. So... we had to make due. You know--improvise. You were right about Jacob though. Fucking psycho."

The banging sound increased. Max could swear she heard muffled screams from inside.

"I guess you'd better just see for yourself." Chloe stepped towards the shack, beckoning Max to follow.

_Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Chloe's alive! I... I fixed it. Again._

Max stopped short in the doorway. Chloe stood in the middle of the small space. Beside her, tied to a chair and gagged, was Jacob Landhauser.

Max couldn't resist it. Despite the turmoil and hell of the past day, with all its horror and malice, a smile broke onto her face.

* * *

"Chloe, what--how--"

"As I said, Max. Shit got weird. Hella weird. This fucker actually followed us! Like he was a secret agent or some shit. Too bad he sucks at stealth--I had his ass pegged from the moment we left home."

"He was still after us? What happened with Vanessa?"

Chloe began to pace the room, clearly enjoying her opportunity to be the one "in the know."

"Oh, she showed up alright. And got her sorry as booted off the doorstep. Joyce didn't even get a chance to know she was there. We let her know she wasn't welcome."

Max considered Chloe's words. "So I skipped school today?"

"As if I was going to let you out of my sight for one goddamn minute," Chloe snapped. "I mean, yeah. You tried. But I pulled executive girlfriend privileges."

Max blushed a little, raising one arm to her side. She took a moment to comprehend the scene a little more. Jacob, unsurprisingly, appeared agitated and angry. He continually swore and screamed into the cloth tied into his mouth, and struggled relentlessly against his bindings. The money suitcase lay resting by the small couch. Max raised an eyebrow when she saw it.

Noticing where Max was looking, Chloe explained. "We figured the junkyard would be a suitable booty cove to hide our treasure in. You wouldn't let me draw a map though. But then _this,_ " Chloe paused to give Jacob a swift kick, "little shit followed us straight from our house. The fucker was literally parked just down the street."

"Not to complain, or anything, Chloe," Max started, "but I was kinda hoping we would hide the money ASAP. I mean, I bet Jacob tailed us _because_ we gave Vanessa the boot."

Chloe raised a hand to her chin in mock consideration. "Yeah, I know. But I had a lot of time to think about what you said, Max, and I guess I figured there's no way I was going to let that banshee step foot in our house. And with that being the case, didn't seem necessary to immediately find a new place to hide the money. Plus, it was already dark when you came back to warn me, so I figured we'd wait until the next day. Really, hiding the stash seemed an after thought. Was only doing it 'cause you were so insistent, and I promised. But hey, look what it got us! One trussed up Jacob."

Jacob fought ever more violently, but Chloe had apparently shown little kindness in the knots she used. Jacob remained in place.

"Right," Max agreed. "And how exactly did  _this_ happen?"

"Promise you won't get mad?" Chloe hunched forward, both hands pressed firmly together in a pious gesture. Max rolled her eyes, but giggled all the same.

With a smirk, Chloe continued. "I bought a gun a while ago, when we first got back to the Bay. When I noticed Jacob following us, I pulled it out of the truck after we parked. Was just a simple matter of marching ahead of him, and then pullin' the old _stick 'em up_ routine. Wish you could remember it, it was awesome. Dude's eyes almost popped out, loony tunes style. "

_Jeez, Chloe. I mean, yeah, I would've been mad. But you could've told me you bought a gun. Still... I'm glad she did. A this point, well, whatever it takes. Speaking of which... what are we going to do with Jacob?_

Max returned her attention to the boy in the chair. He had ceased his futile struggling, seemingly resigned to listen to the girl's conversation. Max felt torn. Over the past few hours, she had seen Jacob and Nathan murder Chloe twice. They kidnapped her. And she would've been dead, if Chloe didn't bring that photograph. She had every reason to hate Jacob. Every reason to want him dead.

 _Can we do it though? Sure, he deserves it. Even if he hasn't_ done _any of those things in this timeline. I suppose that's a pretty gray line of thinking. Punishing someone for what they've done, in an alternate timeline? Plus, the situation_ is _different now._ We're _the ones in control. When I killed Calvin, it was because he forced my hand. There was no other way. But this feels different. Jacob's no threat to us right now. Killing him wouldn't be self defense. It would be murder. Even though he deserves it, could I live with myself? Could Chloe?_

Looking up, she took in Chloe's posture. She was staring at Jacob, her face in a scowl. Clearly she wanted what she saw as justice. Max fidgeted when she realized Chloe probably _would_ kill Jacob, if asked. The thought made Max suddenly uncomfortable.

 _Damnit. We can't... we can't just outright murder him. Even though he'd do the same to us, if given the opportunity. But. We_ can _put the fear of god into him. It's time Jacob understands fucking with us is_ not _a good idea._

"Chloe," Max asked. "Can we talk outside?"

Chloe nodded. They both left the shack, leaving Jacob rocking the chair, and cursing into his gag. Once they were both out of earshot, Max explained her plan. Chloe frowned, clearly unhappy with aspects of it. But ultimately, she agreed to go along with it. Max breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's make a savepoint though," Max remembered. Chloe nodded, grabbing the Polaroid camera from her truck, and took a quick picture. Settled on their course of action, they both returned to the shack.

Chloe stepped up to Jacob, grinning, and moved to undo the cloth around Jacob's mouth. Jacob spat, cursed, and growled. He slowly lifted his head to look at Max, who remained situated in the doorway. His eyes burned with anger.

"Let me tell you what's going to happen, Jacob," Max started, her voice more calm than she expected.

_Jeez, maybe all that practice for the play paid off._

Jacob scoffed in response, but otherwise remained silent.

"We're going to let you go," Max explained. "You will drop out of Blackwell, and return to Seattle. Today."

Jacob shifted, looking somewhat nervous. Despite his body language, he laughed. "We both know I can't just do that. Dad would fucking disown me."

"Sounds like a personal problem," Max answered. "One you'll have to dealt with. But, it's important you understand something."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "I'm all ears."

_Alright. Chloe doesn't like this, but I think it'll work. Besides... we have the photo. I can always reset._

Max strolled up to Jacob, and leaned forward to whisper into his ear. She pressed the gun she took from Chloe just earlier against his temple, earning a surprised whimper from Jacob. But before saying a word, she activated her power, rewinding the past few seconds.

Exiting the rewind, she wasted no time. " _I know where you sleep,_ " she emphasized. If not for his restraints, Jacob would've left the chair, possibly hitting his head on the ceiling. "Remember, Jacob. We can find you, anywhere, any time."

Max took a few steps back to the shack's entrance, and rewound another few seconds. Jacob's face went white. A small pool of liquid began to form at the base of his shoes.

" _Dude_ ," Chloe exclaimed, while walking backwards, and holding her nose shut with one hand. "That _reeks._ "

"Cut him lose, Chloe," Max ordered. With a shrug, Chloe flipped open a switchblade and released Jacob. The boy immediately sprung from the seat, but apparently over judged his ability to walk, and fell forward, catching himself with the palms of his hands. Chloe burst into laughter, pointing at a dark smear on the back of his pants.

"Max, you"-Chloe paused to stifle a fit of laughter-" _literally_ scared the shit out of him."

Max stepped aside, suddenly wanting to keep some distance between her and the source of the smell. She scrunched her nose at the odor. Embarrassed and belittled, Jacob rose to his feet, barreling his way out the door, muttering and cursing something about "witches" and "demons."

"And if you come back, we'll make you walk the plank, ye scallywag," Chloe yelled. Despite themselves, both Max and Chloe burst into a fit of laughter.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Chloe said, "Let's bail, Max. Smells like a overused honeybucket in here."

The sound of Jacob's car starting, and screeching away, gave them both a sense of satisfaction.

"No arguments Chloe. I--" Max stumbled forward, and Chloe rushed to catch her before she hit the ground. Reaching up with a hand, Max found a dribble of blood coming from her nose. Faintly, she heard Chloe calling her name, but the world surrendered to black.

* * *

"Max?  _Max?_ You there?"

It took a few moments to recognize the surroundings. Her room. Her and Chloe's room. A wave of relief rushed over her. She was lying on her bed. She immediately recognized Chloe's presence beside her. No, around her. She felt Chloe run a hand over her forehead, and through her hair. Reflexively, Max snuggled closer.

"Mmmm," Max muttered in response.

"Jesus dude, it's been hours. I've been hella worried."

Max realized she was still incredibly woozy. The urge to just fall back asleep was incredible, but she wanted to offer Chloe some reassurance.

"I think," Max mumbled, shifting slightly in Chloe's embrace, "I just overdid it, Chloe. Again."

"Guess we should probably put a spending cap on the time travel from here on out."

Max nodded lazily in agreement. She breathed a slow breath in and out, keeping her eyes shut. After the horror of the past day, being in her room, her bed, with Chloe, was heaven itself. Downstairs, she heard the quiet thuds of people milling about.

_David must be home. Probably talking over the day with Joyce. God. Is... is it really over? Wait. How long was I out for?_

Suddenly concerned, Max shifted around to face Chloe directly. "How-how long was I out?"

"Only a few hours, super Max," Chloe answered with a smile, running a hand through Max's hair. "Don't sweat it. After the hell you want through, you hella need a break. Just go back to sleep," Chloe's grin turned more sheepish, and she leaned in closer, her mouth scant inches from Max's face. " _I like to watch you sleep,"_ she said with her best creepy voice.

Max giggled, twisting about when Chloe began to tickle her. After a minute they settled down, and Max snuggled in, suddenly wanting sleep again more than all else. But doubtful thoughts lingered.

"Chloe," she whispered, face still half buried in the pillow. "Do you really think it's over? Did I do the right thing, showing Jacob what I can do?"

"I don't have any answers, Max," Chloe answered, wistfully. "But I believe in _you_. You got the power, girl."

"I think, from here on out, I should reserve my power. Especially now, we don't know how long it'll last. Or if those visions will come back."

"Right there with you, Max0rs," Chloe muttered, squeezing them two of them together. "Let's just live life. Powers for emergencies only."

Max smiled, shuffling in close to Chloe's warmth. The draw of sleep pulled heavily at her eyelids, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

* * *

At last, the school bell rang, releasing the class room's occupants from the remnants of the teacher's ongoing lecture.

"Alright, alright," Ms Grant declared as students shuffled their bags, "remember that the assignment is due tomorrow. No excuses!"

A soft murmur filtered through the room. Max rose slowly, both eager and hesitant. Jacob hadn't attended class, which was an excellent sign. But she needed to know more. Confirm that he was gone. Victoria, on the other side of the classroom, remained seated, glued to her phone's screen. Max decided to pay her a visit.

"Victoria," Max began. She decided on flattery. "Thanks for filling in on the play yesterday. You were a godsend."

Max's words tore Victoria's attention from her phone. It took a moment to digest them, and she looked confused, slightly angry, then almost petulant. "I--yes. Thanks Max. With truly talented artists on stage, everything went to plan. So glad you could see reason."

"I was wondering," Max continued, "if you'd seen Jacob today? Had a question for him."

It was Victoria's turn to look disturbed. "I... I haven't seen him. It's weird. We were supposed to meet today... but... according to Nathan, he's just..." Victoria trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Collecting herself, she looked up sharply at Max. "What do you even care?"

Max raised both hands in mock defense. "I don't. Was just wondering something, no big."

Victoria's expression furrowed, but in moments she returned attention to the phone.

_Awesome. So he's gone? For good?_

"What the fuck did you two dykes do?" Nathan accused, striding into the classroom, as if he owned the place. "I don't know what the fuck happened, but Jacob just _took off_ last night. His room is fucking empty. Is this _your_ fault, Victoria?"

"Fuck you, Nathan," Victoria countered. "I'm as in shock as you are. You wanna blame somebody, why not Maxine? Ugly fox probably threatened him or something."

Nathan turned his eyes to Max, who had to suppress a nervous shiver. A flashback of Nathan holding a gun, pointing it at Chloe, and pulling the trigger, fluttered through her mind.

"He's _your_ guy's friend, not mine. Don't project."

Nathan huffed, stamping about uncertainly. "All I know is one day he's on about finally getting some serious closure about some dumbass legal case, and then he's a fucking ghost. There's bullshit here, I can smell it. And one of you two fuckers are behind it."

Max raised her hands in a empty gesture. Nathan scoffed again. "This isn't over, bitch," he swore as he turned heel, and left the room.

"T-thanks, Max," Victoria muttered, obviously a bit perturbed by Nathan's sudden outburst. "Nathan's... well. He's a bit hot headed for my tastes."

"You and me both, Victoria," Max replied.

"Don't think just because you chickened out on the play, and gave me the part, like you _should've_ done from the beginning, that we're friends now, Max."

Max rolled her eyes.

_Of course. Heaven forbid we not be enemies._

"Wouldn't dream of it, Victoria," Max answered while shouldering her bag. She gave Victoria, and the room, a final look before heading out. It was her last class of the day, and it was time to go meet Chloe.

_So Jacob's gone, Nathan's wings are clipped, and Victoria isn't being an absolute bitch. And I made it all the way through that conversation without using my powers!_

* * *

 So it worked? Landfucker is gone?"

Chloe paused to take another small bite from her ice cream cone. Max had gone immediately from Blackwell to downtown Arcadia Bay, to meet Chloe at one of the town's few ice cream parlors. Chloe got her usual--mint pistachio. Max opted for chocolate orange. It was early afternoon, and they sat at one of the provided tables that dotted the sidewalk.

"I think so, Chloe," Max nodded, giving her own cone a lick. "Nathan and Victoria were completely in the dark. I think we really put the fear of god into Jacob."

"Honestly thought that shitting your pants was just an expression. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid."

Max shrugged. "Even if he does tell people what he saw, who's going to believe him?"

"Touché," Chloe replied, before stopping to rub her temple. "Ugh, sorry. Brain freeze."

Max giggled. "Slow down, seriously. This isn't a race."

"Says _you_ ," Chloe grinned, giving Max a mock punch in the arm. "I--the hell?"

Max turned in her chair to see what caught Chloe's attention. He stomach somersaulted. A police cruiser had pulled up to the curb, its tinted windows hiding the identity of the officer inside. When the door opened, a tall man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, stepped out, and took a moment to stretch. His tag read Officer O'Conner.

"Oh, god," Chloe sighed, her expression becoming deadpan.

"Well hello to you too, Chloe," O'Conner replied. "And your lovely friend. Fine day, isn't it?"

Chloe leaned back in her chair, eyes furrowed. "What do you want, Neil?"

"No need to get testy, Chloe. We at the station are all thrilled that you seem to be getting your life together. And no, before you ask, you're not in any trouble."

O'Conner's reassurances did little to curb Max's sense of growing anxiety.

_Sure, uh huh. Getting some serious deja vu from this situation..._

"Then, if you don't mind," Chloe started, "I'd like to get back to my date? As in, please fuck off?"

O'Conner frowned, putting both arms on his hips. Max couldn't help but notice the holstered sidearm beside his right hand. "Listen, something's come up. I'd like to do this the easy way, so check that attitude, Chloe." Chloe huffed in response, taking another bite from her cone. Max, on the other hand, had almost lost her appetite.

_If he asks us to get in that car, I swear. I will lose my shit._

"Why don't you two girls grab your things, and hop into the backseat? There's a few things we need to discuss down at the station."

Chloe crossed her legs, remaining seated, turning to face O'Conner directly. "We under arrest, pig?"

O'Conner bristled at the insult. His hand moved to rest atop his weapon."Not yet. Don't push me, Chloe."

_Screw that. I'm done reacting all this bullshit. Time to get to the bottom of this._

Max gave Chloe a kick from under the table to grab her attention. Chloe shot Max an inquisitive glance. "Gonna control-Z this."

A wide grin formed over Chloe's face, and her head cocked at the formulation of an idea.

_Oh god, what's she going to do this time?_

"Sure, officer, don't get your panties in a knot," Chloe relented while rising from her chair. In a fast move, she planted her remaining ice cream cone into O'Conner's face.

"Fuck! That _tears_ it, Chloe," O'Conner shouted, while wiping his face, which had become contorted with anger. Unphased, Chloe took a step back to admire her work.

"You realize you just assaulted an officer? I was going to do this the hospitable way, but now-"

Max raised her hand, undoing the events of the past few minutes. She waited patiently, as the cone flung back into Chloe's hand, as O'Conner returned to his vehicle, and drove backwards, and around the corner. Finally, she exited the rewind.

"Dude," Chloe asked. "Did you just use your powers? Could've sworn you just flickered."

"Chloe," Max said while rising to her feet. "We have to go. Now."

Chloe's playful expression morphed into her serious game face, and she followed Max's orders without hesitation. Max grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled them both away from the store, heading down the sidewalk. To their right, she spotted an alley, and she pulled them both down it.

"The hell is going on, Max?"

"Cops," Max answered, after they were completely out of sight from the street. "Trying to get us to go for another ride."

"Fuck that."

"It's time to stop reacting, Chloe. Let's figure out what's going on."

"One hundred percent behind you, girl. What's the play?"

* * *

Max glanced up at the darkened sky, fidgeting a bit. Anything to keep her nerves at bay. Even with her power, breaking and entering always put her ill at ease.

"Supergirl. Chin up. You're an ultra stealth ninja, remember?"

Max smiled, letting Chloe's confidence boost her own. They both stood across the street from the Arcadia Bay police department. It was close to midnight, and the town around then was completely dead, aside from the occasional passing car. The station itself was completely dark.

_Thank god for small towns, and even smaller police budgets_ _. Now. Chloe's right. It's time to get to the bottom of this._

They were both garbed in fully black outfits, complete with hoods to mask their face. Chloe had insisted they prepare thoroughly for the evening's escapades. 

"You got the key ready?" Max asked.

Chloe grinned, holding up a masonry brick she had acquired earlier from the junk yard. "One skeleton key, at your service."

"I'll let you do the honors."

Together, they crossed the street. They had picked picked out an ideal spot that afternoon. The station had two large windows facing its south side, by its entrance. When they both came to a stop before them, Chloe performed some mock calisthenics, warming up her arm like she was a baseball pitcher.

"Just throw the damn brick, Chloe," Max giggled.

"You can't rush art, Max. You of all people should know that." Max gave Chloe a soft shove, earning another petulant remark. "Alright, alright. Here goes!"

Brick in one hand, Chloe whirled around twice, in a full circle, before letting the missile lose at the window. Her efforts were rewarded with a shocking burst of shattered glass. Which was followed immediately by an excruciatingly loud alarm. Max instinctively covered her ears. Chloe, on the other hand, hoped up to the make-shift entrance, leaning down and forming a cup with her hands.

"My lady," Chloe offered, as Max placed a foot into Chloe's palms. A second later, and Chloe hoisted Max through the elevated window. Max ungraciously tumbled into the building, taking care to avoid any shards of glass. Standing up, she turned around to face Chloe, who gave her a fake salute.

"Wish me luck," Max asked.

"Ninjas don't need luck. Especially _pirate_ ninjas, like us. Now go kick some ass."

Max rewound, restoring the window to its original state. She immediately walked up to it, searching for Chloe. She breathed a sigh of relief--Chloe stood safe and sound, back on the other side of the street. Max gave her a wave. Chloe responded with two sold thumbs up, and a head bang.

Turning around, Max began the investigation. The first order of business was gaining computer access. And that would be reliant on finding a password. She banked her hopes on this being a small town, with little concern towards IT security. Chloe had mentioned that, in her IT classes, they said the biggest flaw isn't in software, but rather in the human element. Max rounded the front desk, and started rifling through the mess littered around the keyboard and mouse at the computer. But a sticky note attached to the monitor caught her eye.

_You have got to be kidding me._

The sticky note had what looked like a password. Max hit space on the keyboard, waking the computer, which presented her with a lock screen. She typed the password, and was rewarded with a Windows XP desktop.

_Wowsers. They seriously need to upgrade their computers. The 2000s were a whole decade ago!_

The first application that caught her eye was Outlook. She brought it to focus, and began to pour through the inbox. One message in particular caught her eye. It was addressed from Sean Prescott. She double clicked it, and read the contents.

 _"My patience with your incompetence has expired. You will comply with my request, or you will seek alternative employment. You_ will _bring Maxine Caulfield and Chloe Price in for questioning, or I will replace you with someone who will. Do not make me ask again."_

_Jesus. Hold up. Just what's going on here? This has got to be Eric Landhauser leaning on his buddy Sean. But why the sudden escalation? I guess... is it because other-me and Chloe didn't even let Vanessa in the house? And, I guess we also forced Jacob to run home with his tail between his legs. With the pressure of Mr. Amber's lawsuit, maybe Eric is feeling the heat, and is willing to take more drastic steps? What does he hope to accomplish, anyway? It's not as if killing us will get Mr. Amber off his back. But maybe simple revenge is enough, for him?  
_

A thought sprang through her mind. Something that might put a serious damper in Mr. Prescott's influence. She clicked the "Forward" button, and typed in Mr. Amber's email address. In the message body, she wrote:

_"My conscience has gotten the better of me. Please read this, and the following emails. I hope they provide the evidence you need to bring light to the corruption that in this department."_

_And... send! Sorry, "Danica," whoever you are, but you're going to be the sacrificial lamb for this operation._

Max did a search on all emails from Mr. Prescott, and forwarded every one of them to Mr. Amber. They dated back years.

_Done! Now. Got to clean my tracks._

There was no doubt security cameras had recorded her every action of the past few minutes. Despite the ninja garb, Max wanted to scrub any evidence of her presence. Chloe had done a little research about security systems, and with that knowledge, Max located the VHS tape onto which the previous few hours had been recorded.

_Again, seriously. This place is stuck in the nineties. Would've been a lot harder to erase my deeds if this footage was written to network storage, or something._

Tape in hand, Max approached the window. Chloe remained on the other side of the street, a dark shadow leaning against one of the buildings.

_Okay. Time to wait a few minutes, and then have Chloe bust me out._

When the allotted time had passed, Max waved her hands, beckoning Chloe to action. She skipped across the street, and repeated her earlier gymnastics with a shatter. Max stood far back to avoid being bricked, or cut by the glass. Again the alarm blared, and again Chloe helped her down from the window. After a quick hug, Max offered Chloe a smile, a kiss, and rewound.

"Dude! We done already?"

Chloe stood in front of Max, brick in hand, ready to throw.

Max waved the security footage VHS tape triumphantly in her hand. "Mission accomplished. Let's go home, Chloe."

* * *

"Mmph," Max moaned. It took a second to realize Chloe was shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, the mattress of their bed came into focus. She rolled onto her back, and was greeted with a jubilant Chloe.

"Dude, get the fuck up! You've gotta see this shit." Chloe pranced back a few steps. She bounced on her toes, clearly unable to wait another moment for Max to rise from bed.

Intrigued, Max pushed herself up into a sitting position. "This better be good, Chloe."

"You have no idea."

_I could think of a few things. God, last night really took it out of me. Using me rewind feels... harder. But, at least, those crazy visions seem to be gone._

Chloe practically pulled Max down the stairs by one hand. As they hit the landing, Max was still rubbing her eyes, releasing a giant yawn.

"Max," Joyce called from the living room. "Come see this."

Impatient, Chloe dragged Max down the hallway and into view of the TV. On the couch, both Joyce and David sat watching the TV. It was playing the local news. The headline read "bombshell investigation into corruption of local police department. FBI has confirmed an open investigation."

_Holy shit. So quickly? Damn Mr. Amber, you work fast! And getting the FBI involved, wowsers. Maybe Mr. Prescott will finally see some consequences for his actions?_

The news report continued. Apparently, multiple officers were under active corruption investigations.

"I always knew something was dirty with that department," David remarked.

Joyce shook her head. "I just can't believe something like this could happen here, in Arcadia."

"Like I've been saying all along," Chloe cut in. "Just burn the whole thing to the ground. Corrupt as shit."

"Chloe! Language!" Joyce scolded. Chloe just rolled her eyes, and moved to the kitchen to find some breakfast.

_Wowsers. So, did we just neuter Mr. Prescott, and by extension, Eric? Fuckers. I hope so._

A million images flickered through Max's head. Calvin assaulting her with a taser after admitting he killed Chloe. Calvin killing Chloe in a decrepit barn. Jacob shooting Chloe in the head. Despite herself, Max's blood began to boil.

_Eric, Jacob, Nathan, all of them. Even if they spend the rest of their lives in prison, they're getting off easy. They deserve so much worse._

* * *

_It's not fair, is it? The only people in the world that know what I can do are the love of my life, and my worst enemy. I know Chloe is nervous about this, but if Jacob gets to know, then why not my best friends?  
_

Night had fallen. Both Joyce and David had already left for their planned trip to Portland, leaving the house to Max and Chloe for the night. Joyce had mentioned something about "no wild parties," but didn't say anything about small gatherings.

"Max! Where should I put the snacks?" Warren wondered aloud, his arms full with a variety of bags.

"Just throw them on the coffee table," Max ordered. The night was theirs, and for the first time in what seemed forever, Max felt on airs about the future. Throughout the day she and Chloe had closely followed the rapidly updating news reports.

_I guess I should've gone to school. But, screw it. There's no way I would've been able to concentrate. Not after last night, and today's fallout._

"Max, thank you so much for having me over. This is such a beautiful house!" Kate stood by the couch in the living room, both hands clasped in front of her in a simple gesture.

Max replied with a simple hug, motioning for Kate to sit down on the couch.

"Max? You okay?" Kate asked, while taking a seat. "You look so serious all of a sudden."

"Yeah, what's up, Maxwell?" Warren took a seat beside Kate. Chloe grabbed the armchair, while Max remained standing. "You look so grave."

"Guys, promise you won't freak out. But I'm going to show you something kind of crazy. You probably won't believe it. Or just think you're going insane."

Warren and Kate shared a glance. "I figured this was more than just about a movie night," Warren began. "You've been acting strange at school lately, Max. You know you can tell us anything, right?"

"I do know," Max answered. "And that's why I invited you here. Just... don't freak, okay?"

"Don't insult us, Max. Come on, what's this about?

_Okay then. Time to do this._

Max walked around the back of the sofa, earning craned necks from Warren and Kate. She put her head directly between theirs, and reversed time.

"Boo!"

Kate screamed, jolting away in surprise. Warren stayed in place, his eyes widening with wonder.

"Holy shit! Max! You... you just... _teleported_."

"Max?" Kate asked, her voice filled with trepidation. "H-How did you do that?"

Max stood up straight, and walked back around to face her friends directly. After waiting a moment, she rewound again. Upon exiting, she was rewarded with another shocked gasp from the two of them. Chloe, on the other hand, just burst into laughter.

"It's not teleportation, Warren," Max explained. "Tell me... how much do you know about time travel?"

Warren's eyes widened, and his jaw opened, then closed, then opened again. No words came out.

"I hate keeping secrets. So... yeah. I'm a human time machine."

After a long minute, Warren finally spoke. "Are you fucking _kidding_ me? Max, that's... _awesome!_ "

Kate looked more distressed. "I... don't understand, Max. Time travel?"

"Kate," Max addressed, "I don't know. This power... it was given to me. I don't know how, or why. But I have it."

Kate paused, giving Max a thoughtful look. "I'm sure there's a reason, Max. And I can't imagine a person more deserving."

"Both of you are missing the point here!" Warren exclaimed. "Max... this is insane! Completely unprecedented! There's _nothing_ on record like this. We have to-"

_Uh oh. Did I just stir the slumbering science beast?_

"Easy, dude," Chloe cut in, earning Warren's attention. "This is _Max's_ power. She can do whatever she wants with it. Like hell you're putting her in a lab."

"Of--of course," Warren backed off. "No pressure. But seriously, Max. People always talk about crazy powers, psychic stuff and what not, all the time. But it's not real. Otherwise there'd be tons of documented evidence. Except, shit. That _just happened!_ You... you have _powers_ Max! You're the real deal!"

Max couldn't ward of a small blush at the attention.

_Well, I guess this went as well as I could've hoped. At least they're not trying to burn me at the stake, or anything._

"Max, how long have you been able to do this?" Kate asked.

Max chuckled. "Well, it's kind of a long story."

Warren tucked his legs into a cross, settling into the couch. Kate did the same.

"We've got all night, Max," he said.

"Well," Max began. "It all started back in Seattle..."

* * *

"Chloe, seriously. We're not in a rush!"

"Calm down, Max. We'll be fine."

Chloe's truck sped down the empty roadway. Desert surrounded them on all sides. They were headed south on the 95, and Chloe seemed to think the speed limit didn't apply.

"I just don't want to deal with any more cops," Max mused, assuming a more comfortable position in her seat.

"We're not going to get pulled over, Max. Besides, if we do, you can just rewind, right?"

"Sure. Because landing on my ass and sitting outside in the desert for you to pick me up is _exactly_ how I want to spend my time."

"Don't be so dramatic. It'd only be a few minutes."

Max gave Chloe a punch, which she fended off by grabbing Max's arm. But instead of letting go, Chloe pulled Max in, forcing Max's head onto her lap. Max started to struggle, but instantly acquiesced when Chloe began running her hand through her hair.

_Jeez. I'm such a sucker for the hand-in-hair tactic._

Max purred, enjoying the sensation. She closed her eyes, letting the rhythm of the truck and the warmth of Chloe's lap run through her. Chloe kept stroking her hand through Max's hair, like she was petting a cat.

"You're sure about this, right?" Max mumbled, remaining in her comfortable position.

"About you in my lap? Yeah, pretty cool with it, Max."

"No, dork!" Max rose up, giving her girlfriend a more serious look. "About... this. Going to Vegas, blowing the all the cash."

"Hey! You don't know we'll lose it. Besides, we could fucking _own_ that town, if you'd live up to your power."

Max shook her head. "It'd draw too much attention, Chloe. I... just want to have a good time. And not worry about casinos thinking we're counting cards, or something."

"Like I said, Max. It's your power, your call. I'm just excited to rip this town up! Girl, we got forty grand, and a whole weekend to spend it. This town won't know what hit it."

Max closed her eyes, shuffling in close to lean against Chloe's shoulder. Chloe raised an arm around her in response. 

_Travel. There's so something romantic about it. Even if the destination if the proverbial city of sin. Still, I can't wait. Chloe's so excited to gamble, and to go to all those shows. Plus, all that alone time in our suite. Don't have to worry about noise! And I'm going to capture all of it with my polaroid. Except maybe that last bit. Hopefully I'll even have something to use for my photography class. And... maybe I'll use my powers. Just a little._

Snuggled close against Chloe, Max opened her eyes, taking in the scenery. The highway stretched off, a straight line into infinity before them. On either side, miles of desert painted the land. As if on instinct, Max grabbed the side of Chloe's face, forcing their eyes to meet. But no words were spoken. Their lips met, heartfelt, and Chloe slammed the petal, sending them screaming forward. Lost in space, and time, Max couldn't bring herself to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone that's been reading and commenting: thank you so much! I really appreciate all the feedback. And thank you for sticking with this story, despite its long hiatus. This was a very difficult work, and I really hope it came to a satisfactory climax and conclusion. Max and Chloe are seriously my most favorite characters of all time, from any work of fiction. Nothing makes me happier to know that their story will always continue forward, in so many different works of fiction.


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